The Annulment
by Jwall882
Summary: Who would have known a soul bond could change so much, yet keep so much the same. A time travel fic that changes the original story line. Currently Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1 - The Wedding

** Please make note I am not a writer, I do this purely for fun, after reading SO many stories on here I have decided to put some of my own ideas down on paper... so to speak. I am by no means a professional. This is my first ever published work, I always wanted to be a writer but never had the time nor know how to go about it. Any constructive criticism will be accepted, any outright nasty or rude comments will be deleted. Thank-you for taking the time to read a story that has been bouncing around in my head for several years, I truly appreciate the feedback! -JWall

Chapter 1.

There she was walking towards him, warm brown eyes locked on to his emerald green; he could tell she was nervous, he was too, everything felt so rushed. It was barely 6 months after the second wizarding war, take into account the number of funerals and trials they both have been to and it was understandable why Hermione's beautiful eyes held so many emotions. What he didn't expect to see within that sea of emotions however was fear, this was her wedding day, nerves he could understand but why would that fleck of fear be sitting just there, unknown to anyone else but the select few who really knew her? Before he could contemplate any further, she was in front of the groom, his best friend Ron, whose lips slowly lifted at the corner in that signature smirk as he took her delicate hand in his. In the blink of an eye the wedding was over, his best friends were married, he should feel happy, shouldn't he?

"Come along love, that's our cue" Ginny said as she took his arm and walked up the aisle that just moments before he watched Hermione walk down. "Just imagine in a few weeks' time this will be happening again only this time for us!" delight coursing thru every word spoken. Harry put on a smile and escorted his lovely girlfriend down the aisle towards the party, guilt suddenly hitting him hard in the stomach. They had gotten back together just after Fred's funeral, Gin was a wreck, barely eating and sleeping. Nightmares plagued everyone who fought in the war, but it seemed she only got better when Harry was near. Harry knew things were not the same as before, knew it deep down in his soul; Yes, he loved Ginny but in a different way than before.

The day that Ron proposed to Hermione was the day Harry realized who he truly loved, not a boyhood crush or a feeling of lust, Harry Potter knew that his soul would forever be in love with Hermione and only Hermione. But now she was gone, taken by his first ever friend, and he was lost in his feelings. Proposing to Ginny just a week later brought him little joy, knowing he was doing so for purely selfish reasons. He loved Ginny and knew they would be content together, and this way he wouldn't have to be alone.

The date was set for four weeks after the newest Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's big day with hopes they would return to the island rested and refreshed from their three week honeymoon in Barcelona, the perfect destination for the two of them. It held enough history and tours for Hermione and all the food for Ron. Harry just hoped that Ron would still fit in his tux come time, not that Molly couldn't do any last-minute alterations.

Harry was lost in his thoughts until a small hand grabbed his arm and dragged him out onto the dance floor. "Mione, you know I can't dance, and you're not wearing any shoes I could break your toes!" Harry stated rather childlike. Hermione just grinned and placed his arms at her waist as she swayed to the now gentle song that was playing off in the distance. "Relax I just wanted some time to talk about our plans this week before I head off to Spain" she said with a devilish grin, out of the corner of his eye he saw her retract her wand into a invisible holster on her forearm after she placed what appeared to be a protection charm on her feet. All he could do was shake his head and grin, merlin he wished she were his, the fear was gone from her soulful eyes and all he could see was love, love for him her _brother_ in all but blood. His pulse racing from that gaze turned upon him from mere inches, how easy it would be for him to lean in and kiss her… NO! She was married! MARRIED! And not to him.

Years of abuse from his relatives placed an easy façade of happiness on his face as he answered. "We don't have to rush to get that all done before you leave, you just got married after all! There will be plenty of time to put my vault in order after you return. Gin and I won't be heading off right after the wedding as her schedule barely allowed for the reception, we can tackle that nasty pile of paperwork then."

And it was true, Ginny was set to be a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and had a grueling training regime, she was just able to get enough time for the wedding and the reception afterwards before having to head off to the summer training program for the reserve team. Ginny showed great promise to become the next big quidditch star, being drafted onto the reserve team while still attending the accelerated program at Hogwarts. Technically she still had two years to go but some concessions were made to let her take the fast track offered to Harry's year group in order to stay with her family and friends. So, this summer she agreed to working with the reserve team in hopes of becoming a starting player in the following year or two. Harry was more than proud of everything she had accomplished and supported her decision to push off their honeymoon for a bit as she trained, they were set to take a short weeklong stay in Dublin right before the start of term.

Hermione's smile dropped into a frown as she sucked in her bottom lip, eyes glazing over with unshed tears. Harry's heart stopped beating as he entered an almost panicked state, what had he done or said to cause such an abrupt change in her? Eyes zeroing in on her pinched lip, he gently used his thumb to dislodge the now slightly swollen lip and then raised his attention to her eyes, "What's wrong Mione? What did I say to upset you?" Her eyes darted to her feet as she mumbled a reply "I don't want to wait, I need to take my mind off things, I can't sit around waiting for my holiday without keeping my brain engaged… I can't stop to think about things".

Hermione like Ginny had a hard time after the war. She was plagued with nightmares only few could understand, mentally she knew the war was over and that they had won, but subconsciously her brain kept replaying scenes from her time on the run. Harry not being fast enough against that great bloody snake, Ron buggering off leaving them fending for themselves after a nasty horcrux induced argument, the sight of Harry's lifeless body in Hagrid's arms as he carried him into view on the front lawn of Hogwarts. All her fears, replaying over and over, as the days went by Hermione was at war inside her head. The only thing that kept her sane was to keep her brain busy.

She didn't even know why she married Ronald; heaven knows they still argue all the time. The biggest argument to date was the timing of their wedding, she wanted to wait a year or two to let the events of the very recent past calm down. To this day she didn't understand how he won that argument, she felt like she was in a fog for the past few weeks, at the beginning she knew her main argument against having the nuptials so soon was that she wanted to finish school, followed closely by her internal argument on whether she was making the right decision or not. Sure, she loved Ron, but was she in love with him? Before she could even breathe, she found herself saying "I do" in front of Kingsley Shacklebolt while she watched her best friend in the whole world fall to pieces just behind her new husband with what he thought was a brilliant façade plastered all over his face. Did he know that she could see through any pretense Harry James Potter could produce? Why did she get married? What caused her to back down against her morals? Could it be the lack of sleep that she was getting planning for this damned wedding and also trying to get her, and her families lives back in order? The questions kept piling up, but she had no time to make a mental list as she just missed what Harry had said.

"Sorry? I was lost in my head there for a minute." She mumbled out while shaking her head clear of her questions.

"I was saying if helping me file through hundreds if not thousands of sheets of parchment to get my vault back in order keeps you sane, then it would be my pleasure to be your distraction." Blinking rapidly Hermione thought about his use of _distraction_ as a very adept term in this case and gave him a slow sad smile. "Perfect! Thank-you so much Harry! I think I would go stir crazy if all I had to do was sit around the burrow waiting for our timed portkey to whisk us away to Spain." Parting as the song came to a close, Hermione was being led away from him by Ron to talk with some more red-headed member of his rather large family.

Harry took a seat between Ginny and Neville who were both lost in conversation with a rather risqué dressed Lavender Brown. Across the room Harry watched as some unknown questions danced across Hermione's features as she talked with the overbearing Aunt Muriel, no doubt being scolded for not wearing the tiara that was offered to her. It seems Aunt Muriel did not like being "snubbed" as she put it, when Hermione made mention that every time she tried the blasted thing on all she could see was the Diadem, no one cared. Harry's eyes locked onto hers just in time for him to see hers roll in exasperation. Harry sided with Hermione in that fight, not that his input was worth a knut.

The following day found Harry waiting in a little alcove just outside of Gringotts for Hermione, never one to run late, he made sure he got there five minutes early in order to escort her into the bank. Together the trio had gone to Gringotts directly after the war to apologize for the chaos that they had caused during their rather abrupt exit from the bank. Although angry, the goblins, ever so cunning, offered a peace offering in exchange for publicity and a small sum of galleons.

A few weeks back Harry was in Gringotts exchanging out a few galleons into pounds in order to purchase a proper suit for several occasions happening in the muggle world, when his accounts manager Bogrod informed him of some business that needed to be handled in accordance to the will his grandparents had left him. Harry who up until that point knew nothing of any will, blasted Dumbledore; or of any vaults other than his own, set up a time to come in and go over the fine details. Hermione had offered to come in with him, as she was better at legal documents and banking regularities. Harry was forever thankful that this beautiful girl... now woman came into his life so many years ago.

Hermione noticed Harry first as he was lost to his own thoughts, leaning up against a pillar at the entrance to the bank, his green eyes showing no signs of being in the here and now. She took the rare opportunity to catch him unawares and sent a tickling jinx his way only for it to bounce off his shield and ricochet right back at her. Falling to the ground she instantly regretted attempting a prank on the son of a Marauder as she started to snort while rolling about on the cobblestones.

Harry was barely able to block the flash of light heading his direction from further up the alley, placing him on high alert, that was until he heard the distinct snorting laughter coming from the ground. Eyes crinkling as he noticed her holding her sides and snorting up a storm, pleading for him to lift the curse that she herself tried to place on him. Shaking his head, he whispered the counter curse as he held out a hand to help her up from the ground. Both smiling Harry cocked out an elbow for her to grab hold of as he guided them into the bank.

Bogrod wasted no time as soon as he spotted Harry and Hermione enter the bank he led them off down a narrow granite corridor. "Banking procedures have changed recently" he stated as he walked through a misty area of the tunnel. "Customers and Goblins alike wishing to enter the high security vault area will have to pass thru this corridor in order to prove they are free from all forms of identity theft, compulsions, and other mentally altering curses. Guess we can thank you lot for this added security feature." Blushing slightly Hermione followed Harry walking through the mist, instantly her mind began to come into a clarity she hadn't experienced in several weeks, it was like her brain was reset back to factory settings on a computer. And she was outraged.

Harry noticed the change instantly as he was transfixed at the rosy blush spreading across her cheeks from Bogrods comment about security features. Noticed as her eyes went from a glazed look to a heated angry stare. "Mione is everything okay?" he questioned cautiously. Being on Hermione's bad side was a one-way ticket to a very long lecture, one of which he didn't think they had time for today. Her eyes snapped up and a very terse "Shite" slipped from her lips.

Harry froze, mouth agape, Hermione rarely cusses, something had to have happened in that mist, something bad, and looking into her steeled eyes that sinking feeling was back with a vengeance.


	2. Chapter 2 - Thief's Downfall

EEK! I have made it to chapter 2 of the story! This chapter is just slightly longer than the first, which to me seems super long but I realize that 3k words is still quite short. I'm working on it and expecting the chapters to grow in length the more I become comfortable in my writing. I'm floored by how many people have already read chapter one and chose to follow the story! Thank-You all so much! Please leave a review if you like the story and would like me to continue writing or if you have any helpful advice that I might follow. Once again I still own nothing and all rights to the Harry Potter series still belong with J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 2.

Bogrod was a very sharp, very seasoned account manager. He could see that Mrs. Weasley was just cleared of something that was altering her mind as she walked through a much gentler version of the thief's downfall. Thinking that anything they had planned for todays meeting will now be pushed back by a good bit of time he placed his hand on a perfectly circular cut out section on his desk and wiped his schedule for the rest of the day. Bogrod offered his client and guest some tea and stepped out to give them some privacy to go over what had just happened. As he was walking out Hermione spoke for the first time since her expletive. "Sir, that mist that I walked thru, would it clear out potions as well?" Thinking for a bit Bogrod decided to answer truthfully. "Yes, anything that would cause a person to make any choices against their will would be nullified. You have already encountered this piece of ingenuity before Mrs. Weasley, however at that point we were all falling to the ground and I do believe your mind was more on the cushioning and de-acceleration spells at the time."

Once again blushing profusely Hermione was thinking back to the war when they thought it was an excellent idea to try breaking into Gringotts. "The thief's downfall, that giant waterfall that lifted the imperious curse on you? Sorry by the way, I know we have said it multiple times, but I truly am sorry about all the trouble we have caused, and all the lives lost." Bogrod simply nodded in acknowledgement as he exited the room, he had a pretty good idea what was cleared up in her mind if the wincing every time he called her by her married name was any indication.

"Mione, do you think you could clue in the less gifted?" Harry said with a confused look on his face.

"Remember when we broke into Bellatrix's vault? You had placed Bogrod under the imperious curse for him to believe I was her." Hermione started. Harry remembered the incident clearly but still had no idea what it had to do with her being angry. "When I walked thru the mist it was like my mind went back to its original settings, everything became clear for me in an instant." Again, Harry understood everything but still was not connecting the dots.

"Harry, I never wanted to marry Ronald so quickly, in fact I fought vehemently against it, wanting to wait till after we graduated Hogwarts and maybe started in on a career." Hermione started shaking her head. "As I was walking down the aisle at my wedding, I was asking myself all these questions, why am I marrying when I'm not 100% sure this is what I want? What changed my mind?" Frantically searching his eyes, she let slip the biggest secret she held. "I mean we argue all the time! He drives me nuts, I still have issues trusting him after he left us in that blasted tent! Don't you see… I don't even know if I love him!"

Breathing heavily after her very loud tirade Hermione started shaking, the shaking then made way for her crying, hot angry tears coursed their way down her cheeks as she stared at Harry, his mouth agape, complexion starting to pale.

"Mione, are you saying what I think you're saying?" questioned Harry.

"I don't know," Hermione gasped as she fought hard against the feelings of hatred and anger bubbling up within her.

"What I do know is that very shortly after I made several arguments about not wanting to get married, I suddenly changed my mind and threw myself into wedding planning mode with Molly." Frantically searching thru her newly organized mind she remembered Ron sitting her down and offering her some tea. A potion then? Or could it be someone else? Did Ron know what he was doing? Was it even Ron? So many questions filtered through her mind as Harry sat and stared at the ground.

_Should I tell her how I feel? Does it matter? Can she even do anything now? Is it too late? Would Ron do this to her? _All these questions were filtering through his mind rapidly. How should he approach this?

Harry took a deep breath, "Does this change anything Mione?" he asked quietly.

Chewing on her lip Hermione put to thought the question he asked. _Does it? Do I want to be married so young? Do I want to be married to Ronald?_ Harry was waiting for an answer, but did she have one?

"I'm not sure. I still feel very strongly about not wanting to be married so young, but can I do anything about it? How would I prove it? More importantly how do I know who did it? It's not like Ronald is the most gifted in potions." At that exact moment Bogrod re-entered his office having caught the last statement Hermione said.

"Actually Mrs. Weasley, you do have a say in your marriage to Mr. Weasley. You see a marriage is, at the root, a contract between a witch and a wizard. Both parties are to be in the right state of mind when making any decisions as big as marriage is, generally due to in the wizarding world there is no such thing as divorce." Bogrod gave that a moment to settle in before continuing. "Ideally any marriage that is set to take place between two pure-blooded magical beings usually goes through a bonding ceremony, not uncommon that Mr. Weasley and yourself did not have one based on your heritage. During this ceremony the couple involved would normally both consume the regulated amount of a veritaserum like potion and answer a pre-determined list of questions to a non-biased third party. Most of the time that being held either here at Gringotts in the presence of an account manager or at the Ministry of Magic in front of a register clerk."

Bogrod was right both being from the muggle world neither Hermione nor Harry have ever heard of this ceremonial act. Thinking thru her options quickly Hermione asked "Sir does that mean I can request the bonding ceremony? Even after the fact that we are now already married?"

Bogrod thought about her question carefully, it was an unusual request but not unheard of. But in the truth of things there really was nothing they could do about the marriage besides have it annulled by magic. When given his answer Hermione thought it through. She had heard of the annulment ritual; however, they were rare and one hasn't been performed in several decades. Basically, the ritual searches thru the magic of the couple in question by performing a light-based ritual. The reason in most cases is due to the couple in question were accidently married be it by mistake or by other more forceful means. The ritual is then performed in a set of runes on the floor and invoked by a head of house, normally with a blood offering from each as a witch or wizards magic resides not only in their core, but in their blood. From there magic decides if the two are compatible enough to allow the marriage or if they have a higher act of fate.

The last time the ritual worked, and the marriage was annulled, was several hundred years ago. In fact, she remembered the case clearly as she had done an essay on it for a potions class to earn extra credit when Professor Slughorn taught them about love potions back at Hogwarts. A wizard by the name of Eustace Fawley married a witch by the name of Elizabeth Burke. Elizabeth loved Eustace, but he did not in fact love her, instead he was in love with her sister Belvina. Elizabeth distraught with the thought of her one true love marrying anyone but her gave Eustace a love potion. A story now that she thought about it was very similar to Tom Riddles parents but had a very different outcome.

Elizabeth, feeling comfortable in her marriage, decided to forego the nightly dosage of the potion in Eustace's tea on the night of their marriage. Eustace, coming back into the right state of mind, insisted upon the annulment ritual, still hopeful that their love would be strong enough Elizabeth entered the runes and performed the ritual only to have her marriage annulled by magic. Eustace had a higher act of fate, which overruled the marriage in question, as nothing is stronger in the magical worrld as a soul bond, one of which he had with his beloved Belvina.

Hermione coming back from her long-ago report stared directly at Harry, she knew he loved her. She could feel it in her soul, and now that her mind was once again clear, she could honestly say that she loved him. Her heart of hearts was telling her that she made a piss poor decision marrying Ronald Bloody Weasley. She also knew somewhere deep inside that he tricked her into marrying him, he saw the doubt within her, knew that if he gave her time, she would come to the same conclusion that she came to just now.

Harry saw the determination filter into Hermione's eyes followed closely by a gob smacked expression. He could tell she had an epiphany he just didn't realize how big of one it was and how much it would put so much right in his world.

Taking a deep breath and counting to ten Hermione asked Bogrod for some material on the ritual and how one with a muggle heritage would go about asking for one with no head of house. Bogrod put off what one would suppose is a smile towards Hermione before once again placing his hand on the circular cut out on his desk, requesting more tea and an assistant clerk to get the information his client requested.

Back at the Burrow Ronald Billius Weasley was just getting out of bed, his wife who had always been an early riser had left several hours ago and he was free to slack off all day. Silently congratulating himself at his first ever victory in any of their arguments. He knew she didn't love him the way he loved her, how could she? She didn't feel it necessary to have one over on Harry, hell he didn't even know why he felt the need to constantly have things better than his best friend. Merlin it wasn't like he didn't share almost everything he had… his family being the biggest piece of Ron that he shared with Harry. Not only did almost all his family consider Harry a brother/son, but most of them like him better than Ron! And to him that was just not acceptable.

No, Hermione was the one person who Harry couldn't have, wouldn't have. He got to her first, he convinced her first. So what if he cheated a little, its not like it was a love potion he used. His plan was perfect, and thanks to some quick thinking from Rodger Davies she would never find out. It was all too easy, placing the one-time dose into her nightly tea as they discussed pushing back the wedding. It was a odorless, tasteless, colorless potion that Davies created himself making the drinker behave a bit like being hit with a confundus charm mixed with a mild memory block that he could reactivate by saying a word keyed to the potion. Basically, when she started to go off the rails about having the wedding too soon or them being too young Ron would simply slip the word "sweetheart" into conversation and she would mellow out and forget what she was arguing about. But dear Godric was she persistent, he even had to use it right before they said their vows as he could not only see but feel her starting to back away.

But that is all in the past now, she is officially Mrs. Ronald Weasley, and within a weeks' time they will be out in Barcelona enjoying the sunshine and eating LOADS of pasta. He had won, and with that thought Ron decided that Hermione would probably be several hours yet, Merlin knows the amount of paperwork that she will insist upon reading every minute detail, he was positive it would take forever. With time to spare Ron got dressed and headed off to see who he could con out of a few sickles in a rousing game of chess.

Back at Gringotts, Harry was reviewing what felt like the millionth piece of parchment, going over different stocks, and bonds he held in the muggle world now that he became Lord Harry James Potter-Black, heir to Gryffindor. Damn what a mouthful. Who would have thought that he would miss being call the boy who lived? Meanwhile sitting beside him Hermione was looking over the book that Bogrod had given her of the annulment ritual, eyes scanning a page rapidly, finger twisting a piece of her chocolate brown curls, lip like usual sucked in held captive between her teeth. To Harry she was simply in her library mode and the only time she would come out of it was when he would ask her a question pertaining to his paperwork, but even then she continued to read while she answered his questions. He didn't know how she did it, concentrating on two completely different topics and remaining sane. He had no sooner thought this than she glanced up and gave him one of those heart stopping smiles, one that momentarily froze him to his seat.

"Harry, it says here that any persons who do not have a head of house, for example muggle born or half-bloods who were ejected from a family, may file themselves for the ritual if they can prove they were coerced or forced into a marriage against their will." Hermione stated this while the twisting of her curls stopped as she focused her attention towards Bogrod.

"Sir, are we able to prove that a curse or potion was lifted when I walked thru the mist? Is there a record of some kind or a monitoring system in place to show my reaction?" she asked hopefully. Bogrod tapped a clawed finger against his chin, knowing there was no such systems in place, however he was present and could account for and give testament that the young lady was in fact effected by the Thief's Downfall. Contrary to popular belief goblins do not hate all wizards and witches, they merely demand the respect they are owed. True this young welp did break in and create such chaos and havoc that it cost the bank millions to fix, however she truly repented her actions and has done more than any other witch he has known to prove her self to the goblin race. It was because of these actions that Gringotts was able to bounce back from all the bad press sent their way, she also made sure to note that Griphook died an honorable death fighting against the evil that was the Dark Lord.

"I am sorry Mrs. Weasley but there is no such monitoring in place, however helpful that might be, I shall bring it up at our next board meeting with the Elders." Bogrod saw Hermione deflate a little at his answer, catching her eye he continued; "As an account manager to one of the oldest vaults here, my word should be more than enough to get you the request for the ritual, that is if you so wish for it to happen?"

The smile that donned her face was one Harry hasn't seen since before the war, it was simply breathtaking. He couldn't help the smile that came to his face, it has been far too long since he has seen her happy, why hadn't he noticed the change in her earlier? "How long till I can get the ritual set up?" Hermione questioned Bogrod. "If possible, I would like to have it held here where there can't be any interference." Bogrod gave a nod and once more placed his hand on the circular section of his desk, a few moments later a smaller goblin entered his office and took away the paperwork to summon Ron to Gringotts later that afternoon.

Harry for the most part was done with his paperwork, he still had to set up a time to visit several of his newfound properties, including Potter Manor in Scotland and 12 Grimmauld Place in London. Both of which will be done later, although Grimauld could wait far longer, Harry had no excitement about heading back into the town-home that caused Sirius so much pain. Hand cramping as he finished the last of his signatures on his inheritance, Harry stood up and shook out his hand.

Hermione gave him a look of sympathy as he rubbed the faded old scar from that wretched woman in pink, "Does it still hurt?" she asked out of curiosity. "Not too much anymore, just when I write a lot, but I doubt that has anything to do with the blood quill and more to do with the lack of essay writing I have been doing in the last year." Smiling at her he checked the pocket watch that was given to him by the senior Weasley's, "we have a few hours yet before Ron has to make his appearance here, would you like to grab something to eat at the Leaky?" he asked just as he heard her stomach growl. Hermione just giggled as she placed her hand on her middle. "Guess that would be best huh? Wouldn't want to pass out at the sight of blood later, not very becoming from the brightest witch of our age." Which was said with the biggest eye roll Harry has ever seen.

Chuckling slightly he once more cocked his elbow for her to grab hold of as he escorted her back thru the lobby and out into Diagon Alley.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Annulment

Yikes! Thank-you all so much for taking the time to read and follow my story! If you guys would be so kind as to leave a review letting me know if you like the story, or if there is anything I could do to improve it would mean so much to me! As always I own nothing but the premise of the story, I just enjoy twisting the great work of J.K. Rowling around to tell a slightly different story. Thank-you again for reading see ya'll in Chapter 4!

Chapter 3.

Taking a seat in the corner of the pub Harry took a moment to go over a few things that have been pestering him. "Mione, are you sure you want to go thru with this ritual? It does seem a bit rushed and I want to make sure you have thought everything through properly." Biting her lip Hermione pondered his question, then nodded in the affirmative. "Harry, I never wanted to get married this soon, and if it wasn't for whatever potion or spell that I was under I would never had agreed to it. Of this I'm certain." Slowly she reached out and grabbed his hand, "I understand this might seem a bit strange, being that we are all friends, but trust me; I don't want to be married to Ron."

Thinking over everything in her head Hermione couldn't come to a different conclusion. _Did I ever really love him? Was I under some sort of potion from the beginning? NO, I did love him once, in that teenage lovesick puppy kind of way. _The chewing on her lip was starting to become painful so she released her now swollen bottom lip in favor of tearing the label off her bottle. Harry saw the questions dance across her features, not wanting to push to hard he simply asked, "Want to talk it through with me?" Smiling Hermione started from the beginning.

"I think I was in love with him at the end of fourth year, right after your tournament fiasco. Yes, I know he was a jerk at the beginning of that year, and I wanted to slap him so many times through out it, but something about him called to me." Risking a glance at Harry to see if he was following along, he caught her eye and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, letting her know to continue. Blimey she didn't realize they were even still holding hands. "Anyway, I now realize that what I felt then wasn't true love, I associate it more with puppy love, I had a childhood crush on him. But going thru the years I feel that it was just easier to continue on, instead of looking for someone new. I mean look at me who could love a bookworm?" She heard Harry growl at that but chose to continue, "I counted myself lucky that someone wanted me, so I stayed with him. The war tore a bit of that love sickness away, he did desert us after all, even if it was partially due to the locket. Then suddenly he was there again, yes, I was irritated but his line about my voice being the light to guide him home… I'm still not sure I believe all that."

Harry chuckled remembering that cheesy line, he always believed it to be a load of tosh, Ron hoping Hermione wouldn't hex him into the following week. Some how it seemed to have cooled her off just a tad and he could stay unscathed.

"I wanted to rip his hide off him, but I was so tired, and we were down one more horcrux, so I let it go. We did, after all, have bigger fish to fry." She paused for a moment remembering those times as she took a sip of the cider she was drinking.

"After the war things went semi back to normal, we were officially together instead of that limbo we were in before. Things seemed to settle down a bit after the funerals, but everything felt different. I felt different. But then he proposed, in front of SO many people, how could I say no? There was too much pressure, and so many eyes on me, I felt obligated to say yes thinking I might have a bit of time to work through my feelings on it." Dropping her bottle off at the bar while Harry paid the tab Hermione let herself get lost a bit in her thoughts… _I should have said no. What was I thinking? Was my mind tampered with then? No, I couldn't have been I was just giving myself time to think. Damn when did it happen?_

Offering his arm Harry led her outside as the slowly walked back towards Gringotts. "I don't think my mind was tampered with yet at that time, I was still second guessing myself and letting my feelings be heard up until the wedding planning. It must have happened after that." Squeezing Harry's arm, she let go her worry, "Do you think Ron did it?"

Harry let a out a long slow breath, he has been dreading answering this question, he didn't like thinking badly about his first ever friend, mostly because he hated the answer he was about to give. "Yes, I think Ron executed the plan, I believe it would have to be a potion because you are much to smart to let a spell get past you." He said with a sigh, "I just have this bad feeling that he wasn't alone. It seems far to uncommon for him to execute a potion of that quality." Nodding Hermione agreed.

"True, I never thought about it that way, a potion does make the most sense. I'm hoping that the ritual would bring forth some information, one of the questions I plan on asking is if he tampered with my mind."

They were nearly at the bank now and Hermione wasn't ready yet to go in, there was more she wanted to discuss with Harry, he was right this was helping her get a better handle on things. "Mind if we sit out here for a bit, we can put up a privacy bubble and continue talking things thru, I think it's really helping me put my mind in order." She said as she guided them over to a bench. Harry just nodded and let her lead him onto the bench then slid his wand into his hand and cast several privacy spells with an added Muffliato for good measure. "Okay, we are all set, what else is going through that pretty head of yours hm?" Harry said with a soft smile.

Hermione blushed, was Harry flirting with her? Shaking her head she continued on with her thoughts, "I believed it happed at the burrow, I was having a rather drawn out argument that I didn't want to start planning the wedding or even think about setting a date when before you know it I was marching Molly into a dress shop looking for my perfect gown." Sighing, _it really was a beautiful dress. _"Harry, do you think Molly could have anything to do with the potion? She always did tell that story about giving Arthur a love potion in school." Harry let out a little laugh " Have you ever asked Arthur his side of the story?" seeing her shake her head Harry continued, "Arthur knew she fancied him, hell he even knew when she tried to give him a love potion, he let it happen! Not that it really worked, the potion didn't do anything except give him the hiccups, but he let her think it worked. Truth of the matter was he was scared to death to ask the pretty red-head out, this gave him a way to do it without feeling intimidated." Hermione's face was priceless, her mouth formed a perfect O, and he couldn't help it, Harry busted out laughing.

"Well now, that does add a different twist to the story doesn't it?" Hermione said after she composed herself. "It doesn't really answer the question though. Molly still could have helped Ron make the potion; she has obviously gotten better at potion making since her failed attempted at catching Arthur."

"I don't think Molly would force anyone to do anything against their will, she found out later that the love potion didn't work and has told me on several occasions she actually regrets attempting to play with someone's will. No, I don't think she would willingly help Ron coerce you into marriage." Harry pondered for a bit. "Was she ever present when you made known that you didn't want to marry so early?" Harry asked with a thoughtful expression on his face. "No, nobody was really around when we fought, you know how we can get." She said as he slightly nodded "Yeah, I do. But that sort of solidifies it in my head that Molly didn't have anything to do with the potion." Agreeing, Hermione listed what they knew so far.

"Okay so we have a fairly good feeling that Ron was the one to give me, what we believe to be a potion. We also believe that there is some third party who helped him come up with said potion." Nodding Harry agreed with everything Hermione had said so far. "We have a fairly decent idea of when he gave me that potion too. All in all, does it really matter if we find the answers to any of these questions? He still tampered with my mind and coerced me into marrying him, how will I ever look at him again without wanting to punch the tosser in the face?" This was the part Harry was worried about, Hermione was getting mad and to be frank so was he… The more he heard from Hermione the angrier he was getting. _What kind of friend would do that to the girl he professes to love? How could someone we had trusted with our lives turn against everything we thought he was? _

"Hermione, we will get through this, together, like we always have. I'm just as outraged as you, he is WAY out of line, but we need to get this annulment out of the way first." Sighing with relief Hermione squeezed him arm and laid her head on his shoulder, no matter what happened she wouldn't lose Harry, letting go of any kind of anxiety she was having over that fear helped a great deal to calm her mind. "Okay Harry, lets go get things ready, Thank-you so much for letting me talk and helping me work things through, it means a lot to me." She said while rising to her feel and pulling him up with her. "No problem Mione" Harry smiled as he grabbed for her hand. "Let's go get an annulment!"

Walking across the lobby the pair stopped in front of a teller window and let them know they have returned to see Master Bogrod. The small teller simply nodded and pointed to a doorway off to the right, the one they entered earlier that day. Thanking the teller, the pair made their way to the entry way and met up with Bogrod right before the mist, this time as they walked through a green light and a beep accompanied them. Hermione turned and raised an eyebrow at Bogrod who laughed and congratulated her on adding a new security feature once again. "When walking through the mist a light will appear to let us know if anyone was affected. Green means you passed no potions or curses were found, meanwhile a red light will indicate that the goblin or customer are under the effects of a mind-altering curse or potion. We can then look in a book that is in an alcove just beyond the mist as to the reasons why one did not pass."

Hermione was shocked, she didn't expect them to act so swiftly, heck she didn't think they would even follow thru with her suggestion. "The elders thank you for your contribution Mrs. Weasley and give me their full blessing to follow through with both rituals within the bank." Bogrod said with a smile as he led them once more into his office. "They also granted this without charging you for our services today in a way to say thank-you." Bogrod didn't have to tell the pair that this was highly unusual for the goblins not to charge a fee, they were a bank after all. Both thanked him as they took the seats that appeared in front of his desk.

"Now getting down to business, I have here the legal documents to start the procedure for the bonding ceremony, all of your questions are deemed appropriate and will be answered in an order the goblin presiding over the ritual sees fit, in other words me. As we are speaking Mr. Ronald Weasley is currently with another qualified goblin going over the details, thus allowing him to write up any questions he might have during the ceremony." Seeing nothing but nodding heads Bogrod continued "We will be conducting the ceremony in an empty meeting room with both myself and Master Zokt present, Master Zokt being the goblin chosen to represent Mr. Weasley. It is customary for both parties to be placed under a silencing spell before a truth telling potion is administered. This is to make sure no unapproved questions are asked. That spell is only lifted for the time it takes to answer each question." Pausing to let the facts sink in, Bogrod asked if they had any questions so far. Receiving a nod in the negative he continued. "Mr. Potter you will not be allowed in the room as you have no reason to be there. You will however be allowed to remain here in my office, or if you wish, may take a trip to your vault. Even after all the paperwork it would still be beneficial for you to take a look around, you will notice it quite a bit larger than the last time you were here." Nodding Harry thanked the goblin and decided that instead of sitting around worrying he would take him up on the offer and visit his vault. How much different could it be really?

Giving Hermione one last hug before she was on her way with Bogrod, Harry headed in the opposite direction with a goblin by the name of Graplock who incidentally happened to be Griphook's son.

Ron Weasley's day started off so well, he was still trying to wrap his head around what was going on. Hermione was supposed to be here somewhere helping Harry with his vault, why then was he summoned to the bank to take part in a bonding ceremony with her? It just didn't make sense. They were already married and besides Hermione was a muggle born what would she need a bonding ceremony for? _Maybe she found some documentation on it in Harry's vault and wanted to do everything the wizarding way? _Yes, that must be it, Hermione was always one to make sure everything was done perfectly, cross all her t's and dot all the I's kind of witch that she was. According to Zokt, the goblin who was assigned to help him through all the paperwork, Hermione and himself will be placed under a silencing charm until asked a question that was predetermined before the actual ceremony was to happen. It was those questions that Ron was working on now, he just didn't know what questions to ask her. He supposed it was a form of get to know you type questions and started writing down things that might help him in future arguments. _Let's see… I already know her birthday, favorite quill, and favorite color… what else could I need to know? _Pondering that thought Ron didn't notice Zokt start prepping the runes needed for the annulment ceremony, maybe if he did, he would have selected a better question other than 'What is your favorite flower?'. Finishing up his list Ron had what he believed to be four solid questions to ask during the ceremony, he knew from his discussion with Zokt that Hermione had five questions that had already been finalized but for the life of him he couldn't think of a fifth question. He decided to not do any more work than necessary and asked Zokt if he need to match her amount of questions, Zokt let him know that he did not so long as he felt his questions asked everything he needed to know; he stated that he had everything as he set his borrowed quill down on the desk. Zokt then went about finalizing the paperwork needed to get the ceremony started.

A few minutes later Hermione walked into the board room with her head held high, she would not let the prat get to her. As she entered the room Ron stood up and made a move towards her to give her a kiss, she simply side stepped away and took her seat on the other side of the table.

Feeling quite angry that he was snubbed when attempting to kiss his wife, Ron finally noticed the look of pure hatred on her face. Being that the boardroom they were in was not located near the high security vaults, Ron knew nothing about the mist or the fact that Hermione was no longer under the control of his potion. It was this small detail that made what he said seem so out of character, enough for Hermione to pick up on it.

"Hermione, sweetheart, what is this all about?" Ron said while waiting for the tell-tale signs of the potion kicking in. "Why do we have to go through this ceremony when we are happily married already?"

Hermione picked up on his emphasis of "sweetheart" and felt sick to her stomach. Ron never called her sweetheart; he was never one for pet names. It was always Hermione or Mione never darling, love, or sweetheart. Something was off, it became even more apparent when he became angry at her lack of a reaction. "Sweetheart?" Ron said biting his tongue so he wouldn't spit the word at her in anger. _What was going on? Why isn't she reacting to the key word? Why does she seem pissed off?_

"Take a seat Mr. Weasley, we will begin the ceremony in a few moments." Bogrod saw Hermione's change in appearance and knew she had pieced together something from Mr. Weasley's words, now all he needed to do was get her off to the side and see if she still wanted to continue with all of this.

Standing up Bogrod asked for Hermione to join him in the corner under the guise of reviewing her questions. Hermione stood and joined him in the corner, placing a clawed hand against a triangular section of the wall, an invisible barrier went up that would give them the privacy needed for this conversation.

"Is everything alright Mrs. Weasley? Do you still want to continue with the ceremony?" Bogrod could see the determination in her eyes and knew it was pointless to ask the question but waited for a reply anyway.

"If its not too much trouble could I ask you to please call me Hermione?" after the goblin nodded Hermione continued "Thank-you, and sorry, I think I just confirmed that Ron did in fact do something to mess with my mind. He never uses pet names and for him to get angry after putting such emphasis on the word 'sweetheart' made me sick to my stomach. That must be a key word to whatever I was dosed with." A low growl coming from Bogrod shocked Hermione just a bit as the goblin was normally quite in control of his façade. "Hermione, if you wish for it, I would be more than happy to add that question to the list under the addendum that the original question proved to be true." Taking a deep breath Bogrod explained his lack of control he had prior "I am sorry if I scared you, it's just I find anything to do with mind alteration to be abhorrent, for someone who claims to love you, for him to still place you under such a thing is appalling. You see goblins mate for life, I would never dare put my mate under a potion to force her to be with me, using one within our nation is a one-way ticket to a dragon's mouth."

Hermione could see the anger boiling just below the surface of Bogrod's face, and she understood, she too was appalled that he had used such means to get her to marry him, and he was supposed to be her best friend! She wished Harry was here, she could really use his calmness. Taking a deep breath Hermione agreed to add the addendum and signed the piece of parchment that he pulled out of thin air. Walking back to the table Hermione could see that Ron was now very angry, that famous Weasley temper was never far from exploding when he was that shade of pink. Zokt started the proceedings by telling everyone what to expect, silencing charms were put in place as Hermione signed the paperwork after Ron to start the ceremony.

To say the least Ron was furious. This whole thing now seemed highly suspicious. _Could she know? Why is Harry's goblin helping her? Why the hell am I here? _All these questions popping through his brain at the same time the biggest one had yet to hit him. _Am I in trouble?_

Ron's question was put forth first after they gave the truth potion five mins to settle in and answering some generalized questions to make sure it was working properly. Somehow though his question of 'What is your favorite kind of flower?' seemed extraordinarily minuscule when compared to Hermione's 'Did you use a spell or curse to force me into marrying you?'. It was almost laughable the look on his face when everything clicked into place. Hermione thought the silencing charms were going to be put to the test when he figured out his scheme was found out.

Ron was starting to worry, the first question he had answered by her was good information he thought, _I would have never guessed that orchids where her favorite flower… I would have thought roses. _The worry set in when he was unsilenced to answer her question. Thankfully he thought, he could honestly answer 'no', as it was a potion not a spell or a curse. But if that was her lead in question, he could only hope that the rest of them would allow him to skirt around the edges in the same way. He didn't want to imagine Hermione's ire if she found out he tricked her into marriage.

Bogrod wanted to make sure that they didn't show the true reason the bonding ceremony was in place right away as Hermione had warned him of the so called 'Weasley Temper'. He would wait and bide his time to answer the biggest question last; besides he wanted to know what other kind of lame questions this young urchin wanted to know the answers to. Honestly who doesn't know their mates favorite flower?

Meanwhile in the high security level Harry Potter was being shown to his vault by Graplock in a very déjà vu kind of moment. Harry loving the speed that came with riding the carts was a little disappointed when all the had to do was cross a bridge to get to his vault, he supposed Bogrod was his account manager and it would make sense to have his office close by. Nothing prepared him though for when Graplock opened the door.

The very front of the vault looked the same as the past few times he's been there; the neat rows of golden galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts all stacked high. It amazed him that no matter how much he took out the pile never looked any smaller, he now knew why this was. Beyond his normal pile of gold was a vast cavern made up of stacks upon stacks of galleons, rubies and other precious gemstones. Trunks galore filled with clothing, artifacts and books. To be honest it looked like a scene straight from Aladdin.

To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement. Harry stood frozen to his spot in the doorway transfixed by the size of the space alone. He never thought in all the world that he would have this many possessions. Turning he looked over to Graplock and asked, "Is this really all mine?" Graplock laughed remembering his father's description of Harry's face the first time he set eyes upon his trust vault, he no doubt could say this was the exact same face. "Yes, this is in fact all yours, what did you think all that paperwork was for this morning?" the goblins squeaky voice became even squeakier if possible, at his next declaration. "Do you see that vault door just there?" Harry followed Graplock's pointed finger to set his eyes upon another vault door and nodded. "Thru that door you can access the Black Vaults, their vault is not only larger but also has multiple dark items that you may wish to request inspections of before you access it." Harry agreed whole heartedly to that and decided that he would take care of that bit of paperwork after Hermione got back, as she most likely would want to know what the vault contained was of a darker nature. Now that the shock was over Harry started walking around his newly acquired vault in hopes of finding something interesting as he was sure Hermione's meeting would be taking quite a bit of time.

Back in the board room Bogrod was almost fuming at some of the answers Mr. Weasley was giving, how could one feel the need to 'acquire', as the scum put it, a wife before Harry Potter? Steeling himself for the final question Bogrod took a deep breath and removed the silencing charm from Mr. Weasley. Hermione only had five questions to ask, the biggest one was yet to be presented to him, however out of the four that he had already answered only the first one hinted at her knowing anything about the suspected potion.

Thinking that he was scot free, yes, Hermione would be angry for quite some time about the answers given here today, but he had a plan. He would just request some more potion from Roger tonight, as obviously it had worn off at some point between yesterday and today. Ron just wanted today to end and get back home to the burrow. With Bogrods next words Ron knew he was up shit creek with out a broom to ride away on.

"Mr. Weasley, have you ever given Hermione a potion, that in turn would alter her responses or attitude pertaining to the wedding or any other event that she would unwillingly submit to?" Ron froze, fear evident on his face as Bogrod finished the question. _Shite! Bloody hell how in Merlin's name did she find out?_ "An answer Mr. Weasley, and please remember that the potion you took before questioning will last until the counter potion is administered." Bogrod said with a sneer.

"Yes, I gave a potion to Hermione several weeks back. I was tired of her pushing the date out farther and farther. I wanted to get married before she could change her mind, I knew she was wavering, that's why I planned the proposal in front of so many people, she never likes to disappoint anyone." Hermione, shocked that Ron admitted much more than the question required, didn't require the silencing charm placed on her as she was speechless. _I can't believe that I was right. Everything he has ever done pertaining to this marriage has been to get one over on Harry. _Pinching the bridge of her nose she waited as Bogrod asked the added portion of this question. "Well then Mr. Weasley, in an addendum added to this question Hermione had asked us to question how you chose when to have her 'change' her mind? Was a potion given each time or was it keyed to a specific word?" Ron took a big gulp, _damn damn damn has she figured everything out? Did she find a way to override the potion? _Sighing Ron answered the question truthfully, it's not like she can get out of the marriage anyway, forever is a rather long time after all. "No, the potion only had to be administered once, I placed it in her tea a couple weeks back, Roger said it would last until a counter potion was administered but I guess that was a lie." Hermione's complexion went from beet red to white in an instant. _Roger? Roger Davies? What the hell!? _Ron not noticing Hermione's complexion change at all continued as his eyes bored a hole into the table.

"Before the potion was administered I was asked to key it to a word or phrase, it had to be something that didn't come out at random, I chose 'Sweetheart' as I have never been one for pet names since the whole 'Wron Wron' incident back in school." Hermione wanted to scream, she wanted to punch him in the face so hard that it would make what she did to Malfoy in third year look like a play slap. She wanted to get up and leave so baddly, but that wouldn't accomplish what she wanted here today. Slowly she met Bogrods eyes and gave one solid nod of her head.

"Mr. Weasley, it seems that you have, for a lack of a better word, screwed up. As Ms. Granger has become married basically against her will, she asked that a ritual be performed if the given responses from the questions she asked met a certain criterion. We here at Gringotts can perform an annulment ritual that will let magic decide if you two are compatible enough for marriage or if either of you have a greater act of fate. Now normally this is to be requested by a head of house, however in this case Ms. Granger, coming from a muggle background has the right to request this herself as she has officially done just now." Ron blanched at Bogrods words "You may of course have a trusted adviser present as the ceremony takes place. Do you wish us to contact anyone?" Ron had to think on his feet, _does he want anyone to know about this? What if the annulment goes thru, everyone will know anyway? Who is he going to ask for?_ Taking a shaky breath Ron asked that his brother Bill be contacted as he would be the most familiar with rituals being a curse breaker.

Hermione had to bite her lip to hold back her smile. One of Ron's fewer endearing qualities was his need to spin a tale to make him come out in the best light possible, having Bill here would guarantee everyone knew the proper story. _I wonder if he thought this thru? _Hermione didn't have long to ponder that question as Bill was working today anyway so locating him was rather easy.

Entering the room Bill looked at his ashen faced brother and his newly gained sister in law. Something wasn't right, it was at this time he noticed the runes on the floor, _SHITE what has the dunderhead done now?_

"Good evening Mr. Weasley, thank-you for joining us so quickly. I will bring you up to pace as to why your presence is required here today, however I do believe that the rune is a dead give away for a curse breaker of your caliber." Bill nodded and took a seat next to Ron as Bogrod proceeded to show him a transcript of today's ceremony. Bills eyebrows kept raising higher and higher as he was reading the transcript, they disappeared altogether at the answer given to the last question. Bill raised his eyes to meet the girl who he considered a sister long before she married his youngest brother, he couldn't believe all the shit Ron had put her through. Sadness filled his eyes and he saw the fear in hers, fear he knew at the possibility of losing so much family because of his brainless baby brother. Bill hoped he conveyed that she will still, at the very least, have his support after this was all said and done; and he would make sure the rest of the family knew of the facts and not any tale that Ron would spin in his favor. Taking a minute to gather his thoughts Bill consented to being Ron's adviser and asked to speak with him privately before the ritual.

"How the HELL did you expect your idiotic plan to work? How the hell are you even a Weasley?" Ron was glad Bill put a barrier in between them by touching that triangle like the goblin did when he was speaking with Hermione. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to choose Bill? "Look I just wanted to be married before we head back for our final year, knowing my luck someone else would catch her fancy and I would be shoved off to the wayside." Ron said with a pout, hoping beyond all hope that his lies would seem legitimate now that he had taken the counter potion of the truth one he took earlier. "Oh don't give me that crap Ronald, the only person you were concerned about was yourself being better than Harry Potter, or did you forget that I was given a transcript of todays events already?" Bill said still shouting while waving the transcripts in Ron's face. "By the way how did you not know Hermione's favorite flower? EVERYONE knows that, why do you think her bouquet at the wedding was made up of orchids?" Bill honestly couldn't believe the stupidity of his brother sometimes, apparently the twins got the last of male brains in the family. "Now, do you have any idea what this ritual does? Did they explain it to you?" Ron's eyes were glued to the floor as he answered. "Yeah, they said magic would decide if we are compatible enough to remain married. They also said something about a higher act of fate what ever that means." Bill felt his control slip on his Weasley temper, it seemed to him that Ron was not taking this seriously. "It means Ronald that you better hope magic decides that you two are non-compatible because if Hermione has to stay married to you she will throw you off a cliff, that is if I don't feed you to the dragons here first."

Having that image in his head Ron turned pale, today was most definitely not going to plan.

Harry was having the time of his life, he was only a quarter of the way thru his vault and he had already found several books that Hermione would love, one of which was a very interesting book on the Animagus transformation, and his parent's journals. He was just turning the corner past a cabinet full of fancy-dress robes when a voice he had never physically heard but knew instantly called out to him. "Harry? Is that really you? Oh my word you have grown up to be a handsome young man, haven't you? And my God you look just like your father!" the lady in the painting said with a hand over her mouth. "You say that like it's a bad thing my love, besides look at those eyes, he obviously has your beautiful emerald eyes, there for he does not look 'just' like me, he is ten times better looking with those show stoppers. Hello son, I have been looking forward to this day for quite some time." The tall raven-haired older version of himself said. Once more Harry found himself frozen in place as his eyes locked onto a portrait of the two people he wanted to talk to more than anything else in the world. "Mum?.. Dad?" Tears forming in his eyes as he watched both his parents nod. Reaching out to touch the picture, his Mom placed her painted hand where his lay, close but not close enough. "I know sweetheart, we realized quite a bit ago that we either survived the war and were not needed to be hung up or something had happened where we were left to be forgotten until a new heir to this vault be found." Lily said solemnly. "I was dreading someone like Lucius Malfoy would find a way to claim our vault and destroy everything we had built." James stated with a serious expression on his face. Harry was in awe, here he was standing in a vault he had no knowledge of, talking with his parents! _Did anyone know this portrait existed? Did Dumbledore know? Why was it in the main vault instead of my trust fund vault? _Deciding to get some answers Harry asked some of the few people who would know. "I'm so happy to see you both, you don't know how much this means to me. I had no idea this portrait even existed! Did anyone else know about it or was it kept secret for a reason?" hoping beyond all hope that no one knew of the portrait, Harry didn't think he could handle Dumbledore keeping something this big away from him. Painting or not it still held the memories of his parents, he could have at least learned who they were!

"Sadly no one knew about this son" his father said "we meant to tell Padfoot but everything happened so suddenly, we didn't even deliver this portrait to the vault ourselves we had a Potter elf do it for us, Gringotts must have placed us in the main vault for security reasons. Where is old Padfoot anyway? I hope he at minimum taught you how to properly fly a broom!"

Harry deflated at his fathers' question, of course they didn't know that Sirius was imprisoned and later died protecting Harry from his crazy cousin Bellatrix. "I wasn't raised by Padfoot" Harry mumbled. "I was sent to live with the Dursleys after Sirius got arrested. He was wrongly accused of killing Peter Pettigrew and a dozen muggles after giving your location up to Voldemort. The rat was the death eater not Sirius, Peter had killed those dozen muggles with a bombarda spell and blew off his finger just before transforming into a rat and slinking away down a drainpipe." No matter how many time Harry told the story, it still left a bad taste in his mouth. "THAT'S PREPOSTEROUS!" James yelled. "Padfoot could never be a death eater! Didn't they know anything about his childhood?! Merlin how could anyone think that of him? And Wormtail, dear Godric I didn't expect him to have enough of a backbone to be a death eater, I could however see him selling us out." James was muttering in such a low octave Harry didn't think even his Mum could hear him, meanwhile Lily was also scathing. "PETUNIA?! That whiskered wankered old coot put you with her?! Did he not read our will? What did we spend hours putting together multiple options for if nothing was followed?" listening to his Mum Harry was torn between laughing at her calling Dumbledore a whiskered wanker and angry that once more he would have to tell his parents something they wouldn't like to hear.

"Dumbledore had your will sealed after your death, giving him rights as Chief Mugwump of the Wizengamot to place me with the nearest living blood relative, in my case that happened to be the Dursleys. Up until I was eleven, I was under the impression that you guys had died in a car crash." When Harry paused to catch his breath he stared up into the eyes of his parents, they weren't moving… _did I just break the painting?_ His heart dropped to his stomach, Mum … Dad? Harry questioned. Breathing a huge sigh of relief as they blinked once and then looked at one another for a long minute. "Harry, I am so sorry my sweet boy. We never meant for you to live with those mongrels." His mothers voice was cracking as it almost sounded like she was about to cry. "I don't want to get into your childhood quite yet, now that you know of our existence, we will have plenty of time to talk and get to know more about my awful sister and that fat slob of a husband. I might even let the Marauder side of my husband out to play and we can seek a little revenge." The smile that graced his Mum's face made Harry take a mental note to never piss off his Mum.

Hermione held her breath as she sliced a thin line across her palm with the silver dagger Bogrod provided her with, held it still as she clenched her hand and waited for the blood to drip down into the center of a circle of tiny runes. The moment that her blood mixed with Ron's the goblins started chanting and Hermione could feel the cut heal up magically as the runes started to glow and magic pulsed around them. Sitting across from her Ron, still pale as a ghost, sat and watched his palm healed in a similar fashion to Hermione's. Soon the dull glowing of the runes turned from a pale white to a pretty sky blue that faded into a deep emerald green, _almost the same color as Harry's eyes_, Hermione thought just before the chanting ended abruptly. Suddenly both Ron and Hermione fell back, knocked out by the pulse of magic that ricochet out from the center of the runes so strongly that it rattled the walls.

"Looks like the judgement time has begun for Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, there is nothing more for us to do until Magic has made its decision." Bogrod said to the group as everyone continued to stare at the two prone figures on the ground.

Harry must have been sitting in the comfortable chair he found for quite a bit of time as he told them stories from his years at Hogwarts. "So my son, tell me, why haven't you taken your head of house status earlier? I would have figured you would take it when you turned fourteen instead of waiting till you were of age?" James asked out of interest. Harry sighed "I never knew I even had a house never mind the fact that I could be head of it." Harry sat rather stiffly thinking things over. "I'm sure Sirius would have made mention of it if he hadn't been so mentally tortured. I only recently found out that Sirius named me heir of the Black family vaults as well, but the goblin who led me here today advised rather smartly that I may want to have the contents of that vault checked by curse breakers first, given the nature of the Black family I thought that to be a wise decision." James nodded proudly at his son. "Wise choice my boy, yes old Paddy's family was a rather dark bunch, even darker than their name it seems. I'm actually quite surprised that he was even able to give you control of the vault, seeing as Walburga cast him out of the family during our school years." Harry knew all about Sirius coming to live with his grandparents during his school days and decided to fill his father in on what Sirius came to find out. "Actually it came as a surprise to Sirius as well, it seems that even though his parents disowned him they never finalized the paperwork to remove him as Heir to the Black family. A fact that Dumbledore used to his advantage by acquiring 12 Grimmauld Place as headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix and forced Sirius to remain within its walls as he was still a wanted criminal." James just stared at his son while he shook his head. "I see what you mean by tortured Harry."

Everyone sat quietly, no one really wanting to speak as they thought about Sirius. It was during this quiet time that the walls of the vault started to quake, the lights were flickering on and off, and Harry Potter fell to the ground knocked out by a shock-wave of magic striking him thru his chest.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Unknown

Well, another chapter down. I wanted to write on but felt that this would be the best spot to end it and begin a new. Thank-You all for the reviews I love that you all are enjoying the story. I'm attempting to write a chapter a day, two on a good day, as I'm currently stuck at home for medical reasons. I'm still not sure how many chapters this story is going to be, as I write it as I post. Once more I would like to say that I own nothing, and owe all the material used to J.K. Rowling. Thank-you again for reading. I'll see you in Chapter 5.

Chapter 4.

Hermione awoke to a gentle female voice calling her name, it was almost like her mother was calling to her, but that can't be right; the last she remembered she was at Gringotts sitting thru the annulment ritual. Besides the fact that both of her parents being muggles would have no reason to be, nor would they remember anything about Gringotts to begin with as they both believed that they were Monica and Wendell Wilkins, a married couple with no children living in Australia.

Cautiously Hermione opened her eyes, shocked to see Harry's emerald green eyes staring straight at her from a few mere inches, except _Harry didn't have long red hair? _And the hand that was now touching her face was soft and feminine, not at all like Harry's rough calloused hands from years of quidditch practice. Suddenly on high alert Hermione sprang up to her feet, a feat that felt much smoother than it looked apparently because the man that was standing just behind the mystery woman, who was almost a dead ringer for Harry, was laughing and shaking his head. "Lily dear, maybe we should introduce ourselves before we give this young lady a heart attack." The man said.

"Lily? As in Lily Potter, Harry's Mum?" questioned Hermione.

"Well my word you are quick as a whip, aren't you? Yes dear, I am Harry's mom and that crazy git over there is James, Harry's father. I have to say although we have been watching over Harry, I wasn't quite expecting you to be here today, I was more expecting my son." Lily said with a soft smile on her face as Hermione had that calculated look on hers.

"But… how? When? Where am I? Am I dead? Did something go wrong with the ritual? Why was Harry supposed to be here? Is he okay?" Hermione was near hyperventilating at this point.

"Slow down Hermione take a deep breath, and a seat, we will try to tell you everything that we know. Harry should be along in a few moments if what we believe happened is true." James said while taking a seat on chairs, that she could have swore were not there a minute ago, and she didn't see any kind of wand movements to conjure one. Hermione did as instructed and took a seat as she exhaled the deep breath then she counted to ten before she exhaled.

"Very good dear, thank-you. It wouldn't do to have you hyperventilate and pass out on us. Now I suppose we shall begin with where we are currently." James paused as he looked over towards his wife. "You better explain dear, both being as smart as you are you won't have to dumb down the words like you did for me." Lily, shaking her head while giving off a tiny little snort started from the beginning.

"For a lack of a better term we are stuck in Limbo, a vacant space of mind. In here we are able to communicate and explain things to our family who have yet to cross over but have for some reason found themselves with options available to them that others do not have." Pausing for a bit Lily gave Hermione time to digest that information.

"In your case, we believe that the ritual you were undergoing with Ron worked in your favor, your marriage was annulled but not because you and he were truly incompatible. We believe and it would seem correct as we are sitting her speaking with you, that you were destined to be with someone else." Smiling at this Lily continued, "We have believed for awhile now that you and Harry are soul mates."

Hermione found that she had tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't believe it; she was soul bound to Harry? _Is that why we could always tell what the other was thinking or feeling without words? Is that why I was under so much duress when I thought about marrying Ron?_ Hermione could think up thousands more scenarios that would truly make sense if they were in fact a soul bonded couple.

Seeing that Hermione had accepted this, Lily once more continued. "James and I had taken every precaution we could when we found out we were being hunted by Voldemort, we spent hours going over our will and who would have custody of Harry if anything were to happen to us. Right before we were killed, I had completed a ritual that would allow James and myself to not fully cross-over but yet not become ghosts. We have, and still do, no wish to remain in the mortal world. Being a ghost would not only be painful to us, but painful for Harry too." All this said as a tear streaked down Lily's cheek.

"All that time was spent to set up safety nets for Harry, only to be ruined by Dumbledore in one foul swoop. I swear if I could rip every one of those ridiculous whiskers from his beard one by one… anyway, Harry was sent to live with my magic hating sister and her pig of a husband. It's no wonder Harry couldn't see, until very recently that the love of his life was you dear." Hermione shocked at the meaning behind Lily's words raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction. "Yes dear, please don't hold it against him he was very stubborn about it, just like his Mother was" James said with a laugh as Lily just rolled her eyes.

"Harry loves me?" Hermione didn't mean to say the question out loud, but as it slipped from her lips she knew it to be true. She also knew that she irrevocably loved him too. It was always him.

Having perfect timing as always, Harry chose that moment to suddenly appear on a couch in front of them. "HARRY!" Hermione yelled as she launched herself towards the unconscious body of the boy who lived.

"What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" She pleaded towards his mum as she carefully checked for a pulse.

"He will be just fine Hermione, just as you were when you entered here, he is just knocked out by the force of magic that brought him here." Lily said as she brushed his hair out of his eyes and lovingly placed a kiss on his temple. Breathing a sigh of relief Hermione sat back on her feet and reached out to interlace their fingers. _I love you Harry, please wake up soon._

Ron awoke to three people staring down at him, only one of which he knew. "Uncle Billius? What are you doing here? I thought you died several years ago? Where am I? Where's Hermione?" eyes scanning his long-passed names sake, Ron was getting a bad feeling deep in his gut.

"Ronald, you are here so we can hopefully talk some sense into you." Billius said. "We are the only family members willing to come and speak with you. These gentlemen are your Uncles from your mothers' side, Gideon and Fabian." Each one of his uncles waved as Billius said their name. "Just be glad that your Grandmother Cedrella chose not to come, even being a Weasley for several decades and being disowned from the family, Blacks still back other Blacks; and she was very unhappy with the way you had treated Harry, who she considers a Black as he is now head of that family."

Ron, still laying on his back, made no attempt to move as he was essentially stunned. "Nothing to say for yourself then I see, and to think you are Molly the motor mouths kid." Gideon said with a smile as he thought of his baby sisters nickname.

"But you lot are dead!" Ron screamed while finally moving to stand up. "Yes, very good Ronald, yes, we are in fact dead, as you so eloquently put it. Yet here we are to help you, that is unless you don't think you require our help?" Fabian was getting tired at the lads' lack of manners. "Help? Of course I need help, I'm stuck in this bloody place while my wife is trying to get away from me! How the hell am I supposed to slip her the potion again if I'm stuck in this place?" Ron meant to keep that train of thought internal but realized a little to late that every word of it was said out loud.

Disgust was displayed across all three faces of his uncles at Ron's tirade. After what felt like an eternity his uncle Billius was the first one to speak. "Ronald, I am ashamed that you have Billius as a middle name. Never in my life have I ever seen a more ungrateful, pigheaded, fowl mouthed, piece of rubbish hold the Weasley name. You not only bring dishonor to both sides of your family, but to the term wizard. How dare you believe it to be okay to use a potion to bend others to your will?" Breathing heavily Billius continued without letting Ron speak a word. "We have traveled the distance and disrupted our eternal happiness to come to this place and advise you on how to move forward, however after that appalling display of rubbish I no longer wish to help guide you forward on your path. May hell have mercy on your soul Ronald." And with that Billius appeared to disapperate away.

Gideon looked toward Fabian and shook his head. They both would have nothing further to add to Billius' comments, so with a shake of their heads they too disapperated away, leaving Ron not knowing where he was, or how to get back home.

"Shit" Ron shouted at no one.

Harry awoke in a similar fashion to Ron, the main difference being the feeling of love that surrounded him. He could tell that it was Hermione holding his hand, as he often awoke from an injury in the infirmary in a very similar position. _Am I there now? Did I get hurt flying a broom?_ Harry was running over the last thing that he remembered. He was in Gringotts, he was speaking to a portrait of his parents! What happened that caused him to black out he wondered?

"Oh Harry, thank Merlin you're awake now." Hermione said as she kissed his cheek. "Hey Mione, how did the annulment go?" he asked trying not to think of how good it felt having her kiss his cheek, this was not something she did all that often. "Well technically I'm still in the ritual… I think?" her questioning eyes left his and slid over to his mum's. _HIS MUM?! _"Hermione…. Are we dead?" Her tinkling laugh let loose to a rather loud snort at his question. "Let's sit you up son, then we can explain what's going on." James choked out while attempting not to laugh, he couldn't help at noticing how ironic it was that both Potter men will ultimately marry women who snort when they laughed. Eyes crinkling as he watched his wife finally hold their son for the first time since he was in nappies, he didn't realize he was crying until his wife reached out an arm to include him in what was to become their first ever family hug.

"But how is this possible?" Harry asked as he was enjoying every moment spent in his parent's arms. "I thought you guys were just a picture?" Blinking Lily thought back to what he was referring to. Of course, she thought before he was brought here, he was speaking with our painting in the vault. "No dear, that painting only holds our memories and can update with information given, we are physically here now as we have always been, watching over you from a limbo like state." Lily didn't want to confuse him, as he was very much like his father when it came to understanding things. Brilliant minds no doubt, but a little slow on the uptake.

After they caught Harry up on everything they had just told to Hermione, they were now seated around a coffee table having a bit of tea. Harry and Hermione on one love seat and James and herself on another. Harry took the news that they were soul bound quite well, Hermione thought, maybe he too saw the dots connecting after he found out? "So, I love it here, everyone I love is in this place, but you said there were choices to be made." Harry said, nervous about where this was heading.

Sighing James took the lead this time, "Yes son, we, that is your mother and I, will remain in this place until we can once again be reunited with you in the afterlife. This gives us a chance to watch over you and 'help' so to speak with things from our side."

"Help?" Hermione caught the clue right away. "Yes, there are things we can accomplish from this place that ghosts or people who have passed on cannot, such as protecting Harry from that horcrux that was inside his head." James took a break to look at the scar on his son's forehead. "When you got hit Voldemort's killing curse it was supposed to be us who met you at Kings Cross instead of Dumbledore. I'm still not sure how the hell he conned death into that." James punched a throw pillow just to his right as he spoke. "No matter, we are here now and accomplishing what we should have back then." Harry was still confused at what they were set out to accomplish, in fact he still wasn't entirely sure he wasn't dead.

"What are we accomplishing exactly?" Hermione asked with a confused look on her face.

"We have been given a second chance to rewrite all the wrong that has happened due to Voldemort and Ronald Weasley." Lily spat Ron's name with more contempt than even Dumbledore's received. "Too many good witches and wizards died too soon during the second part of the war, this was mainly due to Harry not reaching his potential early enough in life." James then took over for his wife, "You see kids, as a soul bonded couple you have certain advantages together that you wouldn't normally have as individuals. You two are SO much stronger as a team then you are apart. We believe Ronald could sense this and, not wanting to be placed as the tag along in the 'golden trio' decided to make sure that he would be the one to marry Hermione."

"THAT PIGHEADED PILE OF HIPPOGRIFF SHIT" Hermione shouted while standing up abruptly ready to let loose a hex or three on Ron. Harry grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers he pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped his other arm around her. "Settle down love, we are here, and we are now together… I hope?" Harry seconded guess the last half as they have yet to properly put a name to what they were. Hermione meanwhile was in a near catatonic state, _Harry just called me love! He isn't afraid to use pet names! I'm sitting on his lap! _Smiling, James' laugh broke the awkward silence that Hermione's' freezing up had caused, enough to bring her out of her musings to answer Harry with a kiss.

"Well then, that settles that, lets move along shall we" Lily said quite loudly for the third time before the new couple heard them. Both the kids turned beet red which amused James to no end. "Yes, you two love birds, its about time you figured out what we did several years ago."

"Sorry Mum" the two of them said as one at the look that Lily was giving them. She couldn't help but laugh as she got up and squeezed in next to the children to give them a hug. "Now then, let's go over a few things before we start in on a plan." James noted the nods and continued, "First things first, we have been given the opportunity from Death to allow you both to go back in time and right some wrongful deaths that had occurred. I would highly suggest in doing this as it will get you both out of a rather complicated situation you will no doubt find yourselves in, on top of that I can't allow for both of my best mates to be killed, Remus had finally found a woman for Merlin's sake!" Harry laughed at his fathers' humor, he would give anything to stay here forever with his parents and Hermione. But he knew the amount of good he could do by going back and saving several people who were never meant to die.

"Okay 'deer', you have my attention, what can we do?" Harry waited for his father's reaction on his play of words, he wasn't kept waiting too long. James ended up rolling on the floor as his wife had pushed him off the love-seat that she once again was seated in. Rolling her eyes, she continued to give them the information they needed, as it seemed James was going to be a bit. "We need to select a time that would give you the most bang for your 'buck'…"

Okay she couldn't help herself; she hasn't seen James laugh so hard since he was around the other Marauders. James had just gotten his giggle fit under control when he turned his face towards his wife with wide astonished eyes, "Did I just get two Prongs jokes back to back from my loving wife and son? That's it! My life is complete; I can die a happy stag!"

James, who was trying very hard not to break down into a laughing fit again, lost the battle as Hermione asked Harry, "Do you think he realizes that he died already? Maybe he's like that singing fish in the America's, that's not to far off from a stuffed singing deer head mounted on a wall … right?" At that James once more fell to the floor laughing, yes, his life was truly complete, his daughter in law was everything he could have ever wished for.

"Okay" Hermione started, "We need to figure out a time when we could do the most good, however if we go back too far and change everything, we will have no idea if certain things might have a ripple effect." Harry agreed with Hermione. "It's not like we can go back to before we started Hogwarts or even before year three, we wouldn't be able to explain how we knew about the rat or who Moony was." Hermione understood why Harry would want to go back to before Hogwarts but agreed with his reasoning's not to. "Okay what about end of third year or beginning of fourth? Either one of those options would allow us to save Cedric, and hopefully come up with a plan on how to get Sirius freed from being a fugitive." Harry thought about both the options, Hermione was right it really couldn't be later than fourth year because of Cedrics death, however he suddenly thought that third year wasn't early enough. No matter how much they despised Ron now, he could never hate Ginny enough to want her childhood robbed by a crazed teenage Riddle. "What about the summer after first year?" before anyone could say anything to dispute his thought process Harry continued, "Yes we would have to be careful with our knowledge, and patiently wait for things we know to have happened like Moony coming to teach in our third year; but I just can't get Ginny's possession out of my head. I know now that Ron is a lost cause, but I don't think that means we have to lose our entire Weasley family." Hermione sucked in a breath, everything Harry said was one hundred percent true, she always loved going to the burrow and counted Gin as one of her closest girlfriends. "I think your right love, we really should try and save her all the pain and torture that she never got treated for in the first timeline."

Lily was impressed with both of her children, to think of others so deeply and the need to help them is not always something a person possess. Ronald Weasley being a prime example. True there are always going to be good people, but there are rarely ever truly selfless people in the world, and here she just so happened to have two that she calls her own. "Okay so we have a when and will work out the where as soon as we figure out what we all want to accomplish." Lily glanced at her husband in hopes that his prankster heritage would come in handy. Catching her drift James started to think up some plans, damn he wished that Remus was here … he was always the best at this stage in the planning.

"Okay let's start at the beginning and make a list of things you two would like to change." As he said this a piece of parchment and a quill popped from out of nowhere. "Oh I could definitely get used to this" Hermione shaking her head at James as he laughed and started to write things down, Hermione said what was on her mind, "I think we should really focus on getting Sirius free, if we are able to accomplish that we would have some support to complete our other tasks."

"Good idea Mione, do we have any idea how to get Sirius a proper trial? Going back means that that useless git Fudge will sill hold the title of Minister." Harry never liked Fudge so his disgust at the man was made plain on his face. That's when Harry had a thought.

"Dad? When I was talking to your portrait right before coming here you had mentioned your shock at me not claiming my head of house status earlier. If I remember correctly you said I could have taken up the mantel in my fourth year?" Harry asked just now remembering his conversation with his parent's portrait.

"Well technically you could have claimed your head of house at the age of eleven given your circumstances, most however would claim it at fourteen as that is usually the age when most would mentally be ready for all the paperwork and headaches that come with the title." James thought a bit on this, "However, with you heading back in time you would retain all the knowledge you have up until you make the jump backwards. This would give you an edge you wouldn't have had the first go around." Harry nodded, that was exactly what he was thinking too. "Mr. Potter…"

"Hermione, you may call me Dad or James if you must, but never Mr. Potter… It makes me feel so old." James said while making a face.

Hermione just smiled "Okay Dad, earlier you said that with Harry and I being soul bonded, we would have certain advantages, what kind of advantages are we talking about here?"

Smirking James answered Hermione's question with one of his own, "What do you think being soul bonded means Hermione?"

Without skipping a beat, student Hermione was back as she gave a text book answer "A soul bond is a rare, natural kind of phenomenon between two people, there are many different levels to a soul bond depending on if the couple are both magical, fifty-fifty meaning one is magical and the other muggle, or both non-magical beings. Fate normally plays a part in choosing the soul bonded couple as they normally turn up to balance out unnatural chaos. Once the pair find each other the bond is normally unleashed with a kiss, this kiss then seals the couple as a soul bonded pair, a love so pure that in the magical world they would be considered married with nothing being able to tear them apart."

James just nodded after she was done giving them her verbatim answer, "And what do you think being married to Harry will do to you in the eyes of the magical world?" Lily asked hoping that she could Lead Hermione in the right direction without too much effort.

"Of course" Hermione stated "We would both be considered emancipated and could do magic freely outside of school without having to worry about the trace, it also would allow Harry and I an apartment to our self at Hogwarts, helping keep us together without it looking so suspicious." Harry just stared at Hermione as she was listing off the benefits, "Mione how do you know about all this?" rolling his eyes at her answer of "I read darling" Harry could do nothing but feel amazed that this beautiful, smart, amazing woman was his.

"I would also like to point out that each bonded couple normally acquire some additional skills like telepathy, teleportation, and additional magical reserve. Now you both are rather powerful in your own rights, however when you complete the bond you will find your power to go up quite a bit." Lily said all this while writing a few things down on the parchment.

"Okay so how do I go about claiming my head of house at twelve years old? Do I have to go Gringotts or something?" Harry questioned. "No, its much simpler than that actually. All you need to do is state your claim while pointing your wand upward. For example, 'I, Harry James Potter, do here by claim the Head of House Potter, as I am heir to James Potter and have right by blood. So mote it be.' And that's it you will first feel magic accept your claim and then the head of house ring will appear on your pinky." James remembered when he accepted the head of house status, he was much older than Harry was going to be, in physical appearance anyway.

Harry was a tad nervous at one part of this situation, "Do I have to wear the ring? Or can I accept it and place it in our vault? I don't want too many people knowing my status. I assume my soul bond will cover up the fact that I am Head of House Potter being that it allows me to be married, and can be used as an explanation for a few oddities should they pop up; does everyone really have to know that I am head of house?" James understood his sons worry, "The ring will remain on your finger until you pass it onto your son, however there is a way to hide the ring from view, its old magic and not even Dumbledore would be able to see it."

"Okay, then Harry will take up the mantle of Head of House Potter, since he is wanting to keep this a secret, should he do this before or after our bond?" Hermione had grabbed the parchment from the table and made a few corrections to the order they needed to do things.

And they continued throwing questions back and forth, the parchment was getting quite daunting, and many things were bound to change due to circumstance and outcomes of other events. Obviously, they couldn't plan for everything, so they had to plan for anything. Several hours had passed when Harry had a startling observation.

"Guys, how long do we have in this space? I mean Hermione and I have literally been passed out on the floor in different parts of Gringotts for hours, now haven't we? Do you think they are starting to worry?"

Harry's parents started to laugh, "Silly boy, how much time passed in real time when you had that long-winded conversation with Dumbledore?" Lily asked still with a bit of anger in the background.

Harry's face made a perfect 'O' shape, "A blink of an eye." Harry blinked, "So you mean to tell me they will only notice us go down for a few seconds before we pop back up?"

"Not really son, as from here you will be traveling back in time to just after first year." James said with a twinkle in his eye.

"So how long do we have in here? I don't know about you guys but I'm not ready to stop hugging my parents quite yet." Harry held his fingers crossed in hopes that he could spend a few years in here with them.

The twinkle in James eye faded as he answered his son, "Sadly son it doesn't work like that. Although we do not have a predetermined amount of time, we are still expected to do this in a timely fashion."

Saddened that his time with his parents was eventually going to come to an end here rather soon, Harry slid his and Hermione's couch a little closer to them, the space, which must have sensed his distress, molded the two love-seats to form one family sized couch. James got up from his position on Lily's left and swung around to sit next to Hermione, thoroughly squishing his children between them.

"Okay you two, lets go over the plan one more time, then I want to teach you a few things before you have to leave. I'm hoping to give you the base information to learn how to transform into an Animagus form." James said while squeezing his wife's hand behind Harry's head, "Padfoot should be able to help with the rest."

Several more hours had passed, how many they weren't quite sure, Harry knew their time was coming to an end. The space was already preparing them by having the couch disappear. Harry found himself wrapped in his mother's arms with her kissing his forehead.

"The last piece of information that I want to give to you, my love, is that you are forever free from the debilitating effects of the horcrux that is attached to your scar. Our love combined with Hermione's was far to strong for the hatred that is Voldemort to handle, there will be a protective barrier created by your bond that will protect you until it is removed. Please be careful, and know that we will always be with you, until the very end." Lily kissed her son's forehead one last time before passing him off to his father and wrapping her new daughter in her embrace. "Promise me you'll take care of him my dear. You are wicked smart and beyond powerful, always remember that you are now my daughter and I will think nothing less of you." Hermione squeezed her just a little more tightly as she soaked up her words. No matter how much she loved Molly, this hug, these words of love, were one hundred times better than she could ever muster. Hermione could feel it in her bones that these were her parents as much as Harry's. "I promise" she whispered into her mother's shoulder.

"Take care of her son, Merlin knows she's powerful, but she needs you to keep her grounded, just like your mother." Harry let out a small laugh as he embraced his father. "I solemnly swear so to do." James held him at an arm's length and smiled right before drawing him in and placing him in a head lock to ruffle up his hair. Harry made his escape laughing, only for his father to wrap Hermione in a tight embrace and simply said "I love you dear, please be careful." Hermione was choked up with emotion as she simply nodded and said, "I love you too Dad."

Ron was beyond mad, but his famous Weasley temper burnt out a few hours after his uncles left, and that was several hours ago. He was tired and hungry as he had tried walking in multiple directions, but he never found an end to wherever the hell he was. _Maybe I should have listened to my dead uncles. _Ron thought, way to late to make any bit of difference.

What the hell had his life become? He obviously lost Hermione, his uncles had made that clear, probably to Harry if he had to take a guess. Figures, Ron huffed, even my grandmother who I have never met loves Harry more than me! Sometimes life really wasn't fair.

"Why the hell does he get everything I want?" Ron yelled to no avail as nobody would ever hear it.

Merlin's sweaty balls he gets my family, my friends, my wife… Ron thought bitterly as he continued to walk, it's not like he had anything better to do. Quidditch captain, the best broom, being the boy who lived, … Ron was just getting started on his petty party when suddenly everything went to black. In this timeline Ronald Weasley was no more.

It was a shame really, Ronald Weasley was given a chance at repentance, but he spit in the face of the last people who have tried to help him. He will be sent back with Harry and Hermione, but he will know nothing of the future. His friendships with those he claims to love will most likely abruptly end, and he will never know why. Truly a shame, as deep down inside fate knew that he was a good person, you just need to break through all the petty, self-absorbed, childishness of it all. Maybe with time spent away from being part of the "Golden Trio" he will find his way. Only time will tell now.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Alley

Phew! My longest chapter yet! I still can not believe how smoothly this story is flowing! I know there will inevitably come a time when a block will hit me, I dread that day so much, but until then I will continue to write and hopefully post a chapter a day. As a reminder this is written as I post, meaning I don't have the chapter finished until just before I put it on here, so please bare with me. I love all the reviews I have been receiving both on the story and in private message! You guys rock! Thank-you so much for letting me live out my dream of writing! As always I own nothing, all the content belongs to J.K. Rowling, I just take her story and twist it to make mine. See you all in Chapter 6!

Chapter 5.

Harry had chosen a specific date and time of his summer holidays to wake up in, as he didn't think that he could handle seeing any more of Ron than he had to. Opening his eyes he discovered that he was exactly where he wanted to be, sliding out of the grate at Borgin and Burkes. Righting himself rather quickly, he silently slipped out of the shop before Lucius could arrive and cause him to hide in a cupboard.

Rambling up Knockturn Alley was a whole different experience now, than when he was 'younger', Harry mused. First huge difference was he wouldn't need Hagrid to rescue him this time, as he already had a plan in place to meet up with Hermione, hopefully she had succeeded in persuading her parents to let him spend the rest of the holiday with them. In order to get more support right away they had decided to let Hermione's parent's in on the whole thing, they were bound to notice a difference in Hermione anyway and this way they wouldn't freak out as much having their little girl 'Married' off too young… They hoped anyway.

Having arrived earlier than he thought Harry leaned into the wall and placed a low key notice me on himself, only Hermione would be able to see him unless someone was purposely looking to break through his charm. He had to agree that picking this particular alley way seemed a superb idea as it wasn't very well used, exactly the same reason why they had used it so long in the future as an apparition point. Hermione rushed into the alley way throwing herself at Harry, full well knowing that he would catch her, thankfully he was able to prepare himself as he heard her softly yell "Harry!"

Giggling as he held her at arm's length she stated, "Looks like some things never change," pulling out her wand and pointing it at his eyes, "Oculus Reparo." Smiling Harry blinked, funny how he didn't even notice the crack in his lenses until after they were fixed. "Thanks again Mione"

"Come on, we should hurry, we don't want to miss Lucius trying to slip Ginny the diary!" Hermione said while pulling him back into the main alley. "Yeah, I guess I'll have to go thru the whole 'Lockhart' scenario again, otherwise the ferret won't have anything to whine about." Harry stated with a roll of his eyes.

Upon entering the shop Hermione waved to her parents who were having a conversation with Arthur, as Molly pulled Harry into a hug, "Oh thank-goodness you're alright, seems you went just one grate too far.." Molly continued to brush the soot off of Harry's traveling cloak as they heard the pompous DADA professor start in on his self-absorbed rant. _Showtime, _Harry thought to himself, turning around to catch the eye of Lockhart.

Just like before, Harry handed over his stack of books to Ginny as he had no intention on purchasing or owning any book written by the fraud, making his way to the front of the store Harry heard the all to familiar drawl of Draco 'the ferret' Malfoy, "You enjoyed that didn't you Potter", Harry suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and let the scene play out normally, the biggest difference was that Hermione had found Kingsley Shacklebolt in the alley, he was out conducting a standard patrol as today was a high traffic day for Hogwarts students; she had convinced him to follow her into the bookshop as she made a very convincing argument that Lockhart had just put a target on Harry, and that he would have problems leaving the shop. They thought this would be believable as Harry had yet to do anything to loose face with the public, Kingsley and Hermione had just walked up as Lucius went to place the book he took from Ginny's basket back, only this time Harry was watching closely. "Ginny! Don't move! Mr. Malfoy just put something in your basket and my scar is burning, that book must have something to do with Voldemort!" Harry's scar wasn't really burning, but the story about how Quirrell died last year had spread so he used that to his advantage, laying it on a bit thick Harry rubbed his scar and grunted a little bit.

That declaration had gotten Kingsley's attention, not only was he always very cautious when dealing with the senior Malfoy to begin with, but he too had heard all about Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Kingsley sent immobilization spells at both Ginny Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, as they were the main ones involved; carefully, he levitated the contents of the youngest Weasleys basket into view. Sure enough there was an additional book that hadn't been there before, the book itself appeared to be a diary and it was giving him the willies. You didn't have to be a highly trained wizard to notice the dark aurora coming off the diary, who ever T.M. Riddle was, he obviously didn't want you snooping around his diary.

Unsure of what the book would do if held, Kingsley sent off a Patronus asking for back-up, advising who he currently had in custody of a dark artifact, and who had pointed it out; knowing full well Bones herself would be coming. Next Kingsley asked the clerk at the bookshop if they could obtain a room, knowing Malfoy the way he did, he did not want the chance of any bad press being able to muck up any chance he had of making charges stick.

Arthur had insisted upon staying and sent the rest of his family on their way to continue shopping, Kingsley had asked Harry if he could remain as well, giving Arthur another excuse as he was currently in charge of Harry and Ginny. Making their way into a back room provided by the stout clerk, Kingsley placed Ginny in one chair and Lucius in another, both with the immobulus charm still in place. He wasn't going to be taking any chances, the Wizengamot might be fooled by his 'I was under the imperius' claim, but he never would, and to make sure he couldn't claim anything about slander poor little Ginny would need to remain frozen as well. Making eye contact with Arthur and receiving a nod, confirmed to him that the father understood his reasonings.

Amelia Bones had fought hard all throughout the war against Voldemort, she had lost all of her family except her niece Susan, and that was purely by luck, as she had agreed to watch the baby while her brother and his wife went out on their first date since she was born. With all that experience it was no wonder why she obtained the rank of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Amelia was just getting ready to head out to meet Susan for lunch and get a little school shopping done when a silver Lynx Patronus came bounding into her office. Shacks deep steady voice started pouring out of the beautiful cat, this still took her by surprise sometimes, _his patronus should have been a black panther or a gorilla something that would make more sense with that deep voice of his,_ pulled out of her amusing thought Amelia focused on the message. Lucius, Weasley, and Potter, what a combustible combination, still catching Lucius with anything linked to the dark arts and she would have to be there personally. Sighing she sent her own patronus, a beautiful silver lion, off to her niece advising her that they would have to push off getting her school supplies till after she was done with work. Susan would understand, she grew up with her aunt gone all the time due to work anyway. Thank Merlin for the Abbott family, they treated Susan like a second daughter, given that their daughter Hannah was Susan's best friend since practically birth that didn't seem to be too hard.

Amelia arrived at Flourish and Blotts and was immediately directed to the back room. Walking in she immediately felt the heavy presence of a very dark artifact, surprised by this, she shot Shack a questioning look waiting for him to give report. "Yes ma'am," Shack said without the need for an order, "I was just entering the bookshop as it was brought to my attention that Gilderoy Lockhart had pulled Mr. Potter here, rather unwillingly into the spotlight; thinking that he might need help then exiting the store, I came upon Mr. Malfoy here mocking Mr. Weasley about the state of his child's book." Kingsley took a moment to pause and place Ginny Weasleys' basket in front of Amelia. "I say book because when he was holding it up and inspecting it that was all it was, her basket was empty before he went to drop the book back in, Mr. Potter had noticed or rather felt, that there was something off and warned the young lady not to move." Looking towards Harry, Shack gave a slight nod and continued, "Mr. Potter seemed to be effected by something as he was rubbing his scar and looking a little peckish." Harry blushed as he didn't realize he had a physical reaction to the book. "I followed protocol by immobilizing the main suspects and removed everyone from prying eyes, after contacting the department for backup of course." Shack finished giving his report as Amelia levitated the diary closer for inspection.

"Ma'am," Harry said trying to put their plan in place, "That diary makes me feel exactly like I did when Voldemort was at school last year, Professor Dumbledore might have an idea who this T.M. Riddle is and why the book is effecting me so badly." Harry and Hermione had agreed that Dumbledore would have to remain in the picture, now they would never tell him about the time travel or the about their knowledge of the future, but both they and Harry's parents couldn't deny that Dumbledore was still the best person to have deal with the horcruxes, hoping that by including himself in the scenario by being some sort of 'detection unit' that Dumbledore would bring Harry into the fold earlier this time.

Amelia agreed with Harry's reasoning, Dumbledore did have the best knowledge on almost every magical person in Great Britain, seeing as he was first a teacher, now headmaster of the main magical school here in Britain. "I concur with your suggestion Mr. Potter and I shall have Professor Dumbledore meet up with Croaker, one of our Unspeakables at the Ministry after we get this whole mess sorted out." Harry had to really focus as he was jumping for joy inside that their plan, so far anyway, was going pretty much accordingly.

Amelia had Lucius Malfoy cuffed and placed into a ministry holding cell pending the investigation. Ginny was cleared as she literally had nothing to do with the case, except for being a victim of what was looking to be a malicious crime, and Harry was told to expect a letter calling him to be a witness if there was a trial. They were free to go, Harry couldn't wait to tell Hermione everything, now all they had to do was get her parents on board, get married and free Sirius; hopefully all before heading off to Hogwarts!

Walking out of the shop Harry was leading the way, Mr. Weasley had already sent his own patronus, a weasel, off to Molly to find out where they were. They were almost to Fortescue's Ice-cream Parlor when a bushy haired missile launched herself at Harry. Catching Hermione and pulling her close, Harry had to spin them both around to counteract the brute force of her slamming into him; Harry just laughed and carefully placed her back on the ground. "You were brilliant Harry, who's to say what could have happened to Ginny!" Hermione cheerfully said out loud while at the same time grabbing a shocked Ginny Weasley in a tight hug. "Sorry Gin, I know we don't really know each other yet but I feel like we do, I hope we get to be close friends this year at Hogwarts! I just love your family, even the twins!" Hermione made sure to specify the family and carefully avoided the topic of Ron, who was currently slapping Harry on the back, gratefully thanking him for potentially saving his sisters life.

Shocked at his heartfelt thanks, a shocked Harry fell right back into friend status and threw his arm around Ron's shoulder proclaiming no thanks were needed when among friends. _Maybe if we change enough things, we can keep the Ron we thought we knew as a friend? Only time will tell, I guess._ Harry not wanting to be rude walked over to where Hermione's parents were standing and extended out his hand to her father, "Hello sir, you must be Hermione's father, it's a pleasure to meet you! Sorry about all that excitement earlier, I promise I'm not a huge fan of being in the spotlight."

Shaking the young mans hand, Richard Granger eyed up the boy who was so heavily featured in his little girls letters, _he seems polite enough, a bit scrawny and those clothes leave nothing to be desired, _he thought, _but didn't Hermione mention something about awful, abusive parents? No, guardians, that was it, his parents passed away when he was a mere babe. _Being a dentist Richard has seen, and ultimately reported several cases to child's welfare through out the years, this young lad has obviously seen some hard times. Grabbing his wife's eye Richard nodded, as he introduced himself, "Pleasure to meet you young man, you are correct I am Hermione's father, Doctor Richard Granger but you may call me Mick, everyone else does," Smiling Richard tilted his head towards his wife, "And this beautiful lady is Hermione's mother, Doctor Jean Granger, she doesn't have a cool nick name like I do, so you may call her Jean" Smacking her husband Jean Granger corrected him, "Only himself and the boy's at the club call him Mick, the rest of us call him Mickey as his middle name is Michael. Nice to meet you Harry. Hermione has mentioned that she would like for us to offer you to stay with us this final week before school, we would love to if it is alright with the Weasley's" looking over towards Molly, Harry put on some puppy dog eyes and asked for permission.

Not wanting to disappoint Harry, _the twins said they had to pull bars off his window for heaven's sake! _Molly would never take away the chance of Harry having a normal childhood, and she knew her brood could be a lot to handle, even if you yourself came from a large family. Giving her permission, Molly asked Arthur to apparate Harry back to the Burrow so he could grab his things. Hermione not wanting to, but knowing that Ron knew nothing of the future, offered for him to join them. "Thanks Hermione, but I would rather stay at home and play wizards chess or fly around the pitch." Hermione shocked that Ron used manners, found herself wondering when he turn into the giant prat he was in the future, and how they could go about keeping this version of him?

Back in a holding cell Lucius was furious, how could his plan go so cockeyed? Blast that Potter brat to all hell, it must have been pure dumb luck that the mudblood found an Auror that Lucius couldn't payoff. How was he going to get himself out of this jam? Dumbledore was sure to know who T.M. Riddle was… being as obsessed with the Dark Lord as he was, maybe the Weasley family wasn't the best 'target' to pick as everyone knew they were a light family. Damn it, he hoped that his wife, Narcissa would have the forethought to be discrete as she bribed that fool of a minister to get him out of here.

Discrete was something that Narcissa Malfoy could most certainly do, when the situation called for it, this however, was something she had no mind to correct. Being from a dark pure-blood family as she was, Narcissa had a pretty good idea what that diary was, her cousin Regulus had warned her of the possibilities of the Dark Lord creating horcruxes; she was appalled that Lucius wanted to give that book to a child, no matter who's child that is. On top of that, that same child would then be in the same school as her Draco, who knew what havoc that book could do in the hands of a young witch. There were two things that every Black child learned growing up, Blacks always backed other Blacks, and children were to be protected. Not that all the Blacks followed that last one, her Aunt Walburga popping into her mind as one of her least favorite people on the planet, followed closely by what her older sister Bellatrix became.

No, Narcissa was going to leave Lucius sit right where he belonged, she often wondered if her oldest sister didn't have the right idea to begin with, being a Malfoy was okay, as she often got to do as she pleased, run the household, organize charity balls, host galas… but to be an equal to someone, now wouldn't that be marvelous?

Narcissa sent Draco home to have supper, explaining that she had to finish some things up for a charity event she was holding later that month, after she had seen him off with the assistance of an elf, Narcissa made her way back into the alley. Her shopping could wait for a bit longer, a stop into Amelia's office to let her know what she was getting herself into, yes, she thought, that would have to come first.

Amelia was just thinking that today couldn't get any crazier when the orb on her desk went off, her secretary Jo's voice ringing out that she had a visitor, sighing she asked who it was that was here to see her so late. Jo's normally chipper voice now came off as questioning, "It's Mrs. Malfoy, Ma'am." _Narcissa? What in the devil does that woman want?_

Narcissa and Amelia were friends at Hogwarts, every Slytherin had a Hufflepuff… didn't they? The two were actually quite close, up until the war divided them. Amelia with her family firmly on the path of light and Narcissa's family being as dark as their last name. She knew that Lucius had the Minister of Magic in his pocket, she also knew Narcissa knew better than to try and buy her. Curious as to what Cissy was trying to pull, Amelia let Jo know to send her in. Walking in Narcissa knew she would have to dispel any doubts Amelia had right away, "Ami darling, its been far too long!"

"Yes it has Cissy, what can I do for you?" wanting to be polite, but also firm that she wasn't a person that one could buy, Amelia made sure to settle for a shake of the hand instead of the hug and kiss to the cheek like they used to do.

"Oh for the love of Salazar, would you relax Ami, I promise you I'm not here to beg, nor buy you to release my husband. The git deserves every ounce of weight the law can throw at him." Narcissa explained to the now shocked face of Amelia Bones. Laughing Narcissa continued, "I know that this must come as a big surprise, but I was never made to follow a man who would put hundreds of children in danger just so some half-blooded, megalomaniac could return from the dead and haunt my nightmares once more."

Amelia, now thoroughly shocked, had a million questions running through her mind but none of them would come out, she was quite thoroughly stunned into place, even allowing her ever present monocle to fall from her eye. Giggling a little giggle Narcissa clued her friend in, "Ami, just because I was forced to marry the man doesn't change who I am. I am still the same girl you were friends with in school, though I would like to think I matured a little bit." Blushing at the memories of them chasing older boys, Narcissa got back to the point. "Lucius has changed too, at the beginning he wasn't so bad, it was when his father Abraxas passed that Lucius turned into the prat he is today. He wanted so badly to follow in his father's footsteps that he ran to his master and requested the dark mark." Stopping due to Amelia letting out a gasp, Narcissa asked that all questions be held until she had completed her tale, seeing Ami nod she continued on, "Yes, Lucius willing took the dark mark, at least to my knowledge he did." Raising her sleeves to show both her forearms, "I refused, thankfully I had the perfect built in excuse… Draco. No one knew what the mark would do to a woman with child, so I was saved from being forced into a life a servitude. Even after Draco was born, I kept away from the meetings and gatherings so as not to draw attention to myself, I was born a Black, and Blacks follow no one." Narcissa said this with enough emotion that Amelia knew everything she was saying was true, "I could never come out and say it at the trials, there was too great a chance that Lucius could buy or talk his way out of anything, I would have been confined to the manor and never allowed in public after that."

Amelia could see where Narcissa was coming from, it was true though wasn't it, Lucius did buy and talk his way out of a prison sentence. But from everything she heard today, Amelia still couldn't promise her old friend that he would finally get what was coming to him. "You know he still has the ear of the Minister" Narcissa put words to Amelia's thought process.

"That's definitely true, so what made you step forward today? Aren't you putting yourself in the same position you would have then?" Amelia asked. Without skipping a beat Narcissa said the one thing that made Amelia believe that she had her friend back for good, "He put the children in danger."

Amelia shook her head, it was something they both had always had in common, their love of children. With that Amelia started putting together a plan to keep Lucius in a jail cell until she could, without a shred of doubt, convict him for all his crimes and she knew just who would work best with the plan she was brewing… Looking towards Narcissa she was going to ask, even though it wasn't needed, "I have a plan, are you willing to help me?"

Narcissa just smiled, yes, it was good to have her sister in all but blood back.

Harry was a happy man, er… boy, he had just gotten done putting a few things away in a beautiful armoire that was in the guest bedroom that he was now occupying, he was only going to be there a week after all. He was just finishing up when Hermione walked in and took a seat on his bed, "Today couldn't have gone much smoother, could it?" she questioned as he rummaged thru his trunk. Nodding Harry added his own thoughts, "Thank-god you brought Shack, he's probably one of the only aurors who isn't afraid of good ole' Lucius."

"That was my plan, I didn't know if Tonks would rank high enough being as she would have just graduated from training, she probably has some sort of crappy job within the department. Shack was really the only other auror I knew without a doubt was on our side." Harry was shocked, he had forgotten how close in age Tonks was to them having graduated Hogwarts the year before they started school. "You're amazing Mione, you truly are." Harry said while sitting down next to her on the bed. "When do you think we should bring your parents into the fold? They seemed receptive to me when we met, do you think we should do it before or after we bond?" When Harry said the word 'bond' it was like a swarm of butterflies all took flight at the same time in Hermione's stomach.

Nervous about telling her parents, Hermione thought it would be better to beg for forgiveness then ask for permission in this case. "I think we should bond first, that way if it goes badly…" She didn't want to say it out loud, she knew Harry would have to alter their memories as she couldn't stand to point a wand at her parents again, it was hard enough the first go around. Harry just nodded and gave her a hug, even without the bond there was normally no need for words to get in the way. Harry knew it would hurt Hermione to have to wipe her parent's memories again, this more than anything left him praying that they wouldn't have to deal with that this go around.

Ever since they had left Diagon Alley they started to hold hands, her parents noticed this right away, as they weren't trying very hard to hide their feelings for one another, they did that for far to long already. Knowing that their daughter had a hard time making friends, never mind ever thinking she would have a boyfriend this soon, they didn't stop or make a big fuss about this development. Harry seemed to be a polite young lad, and if he made their daughter happy, then so be it. That didn't mean that they weren't going to lay down some ground rules though, one of which was if they were in each other's room the door would always remain open. Given their ages, they didn't expect anything scandalous to happen, but they wanted to set the precedent early on.

Richard was finishing setting up the table, he could hear from the dinning room the two kids upstairs giggling at something and that made his heart expand. Hermione has never had, nor even asked for, a friend to spend the holiday at their home before, to hear her giggling and acting like a normal child instead of holed up in her room with a dusty tomb was a nice change of pace. He was just walking up the stairs to call them down for dinner when it happened, a bright golden light was pouring out from Harry's bedroom, the feel of euphoria could be felt as he started to run up the stairs, whatever what happening, he knew it couldn't be bad, but he ran anyway.

Hermione was nibbling on her bottom lip again, nervous about kissing Harry. They had been friends for so long, and she had suppressed her feelings for him for almost just as long, she couldn't hold it in anymore, she let out a long, loud, belly laugh. Harry raising an eyebrow at his soon to be wife was curious at what made her bust out laughing… he didn't think that he said anything funny enough to warrant that kind of reaction? "Mione, are you okay?" he asked cautiously. "Oh Harry, I'm fine" she said while gasping for breath, "I was just thinking how silly it was to be so nervous over giving you a simple kiss, I have loved you for forever, and I know you love me back, why then should I feel so nervous?" To say Harry was shell shocked would be an understatement. "Forever? Hermione?" Harry thought back through the years, he too had felt and instant connection with the girl when she was helping Neville find his toad that first day on the express, but he didn't think that she felt anything towards him up until very recently. "Oh you silly man," she laughed and then proceeded to quote something she said way back in first year… or he supposed just a few months ago, "Me! Books! And Cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery and – oh Harry – be careful." Nodding, even after all this time he still remembered her saying that, she continued, "Harry, I meant to say love! Friendship and bravery and love! Of course, I would love you after you rescued me from the biggest bloody troll I've ever seen!"

And with that said she leaned in and placed what was meant to be a small sweet kiss on his lips, but the moment that their lips touched, a bright golden aura surrounded them and filled the room, Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Hermione felt the earth spin and melted into the kiss; her mind completely blank as a calmness took over them both.

Breaking off the kiss, they sat still and stared into each other's eyes as they rested their foreheads against each other, that is until Richard burst thru the open doorway nearly out of breath, looking around for whatever had caused the golden light.

Looking at her fathers bewildered expression as he frantically looked around the room, Hermione fell off the bed, grabbing her stomach as she was once again laughing so hard that she was snorting.

"Will someone tell me just what in Gods name is going on in here!" Richard all but yelled, still frantically searching for the source of the golden light he saw from the bottom of the stairs.

"I think we should go downstairs and sit down at the table with Mom first, then we will tell you everything we know." Hermione said once she was once again under control from her giggles.

_'I can't believe I'm married to Hermione! Holy shit! I must be one of the luckiest men alive!' _Harry thought while sitting at the dinner table in a daze, waiting for Hermione to finish helping her mom bring in the meal. _'Language love, and remind me to reward you for that thought later'_ Hermione's voice said inside his head. Shocked Harry stared off towards the kitchen where he knew Hermione was, _'you can hear my thoughts?'_ Harry thought again hoping he wasn't imagining things.

_'Your dad did say one of the advantages of being a bonded couple could include telepathy remember? I guess we will just have to test out and see what other things we gained in the process later, right now I'm heading toward you with the shepherd's pie.' _As soon as she said that the kitchen door opened and just like she said Hermione walked in with a big casserole dish of delicious smelling shepherd's pie.

After everyone was seated with a big helping of food, Richard asked once more, "Okay, we are all here, now what in the world was that golden light that was shooting out of Harry's bedroom?"

"Golden light? Dear are you feeling okay?" Jean asked while reaching up to feel her husband's forehead.

"No Mom, Dad is correct, something happened up in Harry's room, we knew it was going to happen and wanted to tell you but were afraid at how you would take it." Just as Hermione said this, two owls flew in thru the open window off the patio and landed right in front of Harry. Hermione offered the owls a little bit of her meal as Harry read thru the letters they were carrying. _'Well its official, one letter is from Gringotts asking to see me about my change in status, the other is from the Ministry of Magic congratulating us on our marriage. We should probably see Amelia sooner rather than later about this, do you think we can trust her?' _Harry thought this was an amazing way of communicating, it was fast, easy and best of all nobody would be able to eaves drop. _'You're probably right love, but we need to finish the conversation here first, these letters should provide enough proof for my parents, it's a shame we didn't realize that the ministry would find out so quickly, you know there are more leaks in that building than a straw hat holding water!' _laughing at Hermione's joke only seemed to agitate her parents as they were basically left hanging after Hermione's last statement. "I'm sorry Jean, these letters I just received will kind of help us explain everything to you." Harry paused and let Hermione take the lead on this, she knew them best after all, he just didn't think she would be so blunt, "Mom … Dad, Harry and I are a soul bonded couple and in the eyes of the magical community we are married. We knew about this before it happened, and we had just chosen to complete our bond upstairs, that's what caused the golden light that Dad saw." Hermione explained.

"And what did you 'do' per say to complete this bond of yours young lady?" Jean asked rather taken aback.

"MOOOOOOOOM" Hermione whined, "It's nothing like that at all! All we had to do to complete the bond was share a kiss!" If Harry thought the blush that covered Hermione's face was bright, he could only imagine his own at what Mrs. Granger had implied. _ 'well this is fun' _Harry thought, and Hermione smacked his arm.

"What did you mean by, you knew about it before it happened?" questioned Richard.

"That's the next bit that is going to be kind of hard to explain…" Hermione said while trying to think of the best way to approach the whole 'traveled back in time' thing.

"Just blurt it out dear, and we will ask questions to clarify anything that we need." Suggested Jean.

Taking a deep breath Hermione dived in, "Well as of this morning, when I woke up in the backseat of the car when we arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, I didn't just wake up from a nap, I… actually we" pointing at between Harry and herself, "have been given the chance to travel back in time to correct several things that created mass chaos in the universe." Seeing that her parents where either frozen in disbelief or thinking they need to check their daughter into a psychologist, Hermione continued. "Up until this morning I was an eighteen, nearly nineteen-year-old woman who had just gotten married by accident. I was undergoing a ritual to get an annulment when Harry and I found ourselves in a limbo like state, meeting his parents for the first time." Hermione stopped to see if her parents had any questions so far.

Richard, who remembered how he felt when he saw the golden light shooting out of Harry's bedroom, found himself believing this crazy tale that his daughter was spinning; Jean, however, was unusually upset.

"Hermione Jean Granger, what do you mean you were married by accident?! What the hell is an annulment ritual? And if you were going thru with one, why get married again?"

Hermione, shocked that her mom had cussed, seemed to have caught onto why her mother was so mad.

"Mom! Harry and I were not married by accident. I was coerced into marrying Ron when I was eighteen not Harry! The annulment ritual was done because Ron gave me a potion that messed with my memory, he basically conned me into marrying him, I never wanted to marry him!" Hermione was shaking at this point, as she found herself angry at Ron all over again. Harry sensing this grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Ron? That red headed boy we met in the ally today?" Richard who was now back on track with his wife asked.

"Yes" Harry answered before Hermione to give her a chance to cool down. "We were kind of shocked that he seemed so different when we came back, almost like he didn't become the person we despised in the future." Sighing he finished, "I still don't know what to do about him, there is a small chance that we can change enough of the past to alter the outcome of his radical change in attitude, but I'm not going to be focused on that, there are many other people and things that need to be changed. We lost several good friends and family to the war that is coming up in the future."

"You guys included" Hermione said in a near whisper.

Gasping Jean asked the question she dreaded hearing the answer to, "We… we died Hermione?"

"Oh, heavens no, I never put you guys in danger," stumbling on her words Hermione knew she had to tell them what she did, she knew they would be angry with her, but at least they were alive. "I wiped me from your memories and sent you off to live in Australia thinking you were Wendell and Monica Wilkins." She said so quietly both elder Grangers had to lean in to hear her.

Sensing that Hermione was near her breaking point, Harry barged his way into the conversation before anyone else could speak, "What she did was brave beyond any doubt, and she fully intended to track you guys down and reverse the spell after the war, however we had several things to do before we could come find you. We had multiple funerals to attend to, and as Hermione stated she was basically drugged into marrying Ron, even though it was killing her not to have you walk her down the aisle Mick" Harry used Richards nickname in hopes of bringing a familiarity to his words. It seemed to have worked.

"Oh Hermione," Jean said with tears in her eyes, "That must have been horrible for you!" Getting up and wrapping Hermione in an embrace, Hermione let go of the tears she was desperately trying to hold back.

"Shhhhh now baby, its okay, it never happened now, we are here" Jean tried to soothe her daughter, the food on the table was long ago forgotten.

Harry pulled his wand out from his pocket and cast a spell on the meal to put it in stasis. Shocked at his display of magic Richard questioned, "I thought you weren't allowed to do magic outside of school Harry?"

Pulling back from her mothers embrace Hermione answered her fathers' question, "When we became bonded, we were married in the eyes of the ministry, therefore they consider us adults, allowing us to perform magic outside of school."

"You mean we finally get to see what you have learned at that school of yours Hermione?" Her mother asked.

"Sure, actually there is one thing that we need to do before we forget. Harry?" Hermione gave him a pointed look. _'Ah yes thank you love, I almost forgot' _Harry thought lovingly. Pulling out his wand once more Harry pointed it straight up in the air and repeated the words his father gave him, "I, Harry James Potter, do here by claim the Head of House Potter, as I am heir to James Fleamont Potter and have right by blood. So mote it be." With the end of his line a brilliant flash of white surrounded Harry, as it died down a golden ring with a Griffin on it adorned his pinky finger. Smiling Harry turned and showed Hermione his ring.

Clapping both Grangers had wide eye expressions on their face. "Wow! That was so pretty!" Jean said with a smile.

"So you believe our tale then?" Hermione questioned nervously. "As crazy as your story is, and as much as I don't want to believe it," Jean paused to look towards her husband, his nod was all she needed, "we can't deny the proof you have given us, in both the letters and your magic. Not to mention the way you both talk, and act, is so drastically different than the twelve-year-old we woke up this morning." Laughing as she watched her now married daughter blush. "I just hope that you two remember your current ages, and don't make me a grandmother this young!"

That was Harry's cue to glow crimson as he choked on his water that he had just taken a drink of. "MOTHER!" Hermione gasped, "was that really called for?" Hermione sputtered.

"Of course not dear, that's what made it so much fun." Laughing at his wife's playful side, Richard thought she was taking this way better than he would have believed, in fact he was shocked at how well HE was taking everything. Hermione, his baby girl, his pride and joy, was married at twelve years old, and he wasn't even mad! He guessed it had something to do with the feeling of euphoria he felt earlier. Either way, he was going to live life to the fullest and accept the old motto of 'you are not losing a daughter but gaining a son'. He always wanted a son after all, and Harry seemed like a damn good kid.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was just sitting down at his desk getting ready to go over some paperwork when there was a knock at his door. As it was after hours, his secretary was not around to screen his visitors, so Cornelius simply yelled for whoever was on the other side of the door to enter; praying it wasn't anything too important, he really did want to get home soon.

Narcissa entered the Ministers office, closing the door behind her as she confidently walked up to Fudge's desk. "Good evening Minister" Narcissa practically cooed.

"Ah, Narcissa my dear, what brings you by my office this late in the evening, nothing troubling I hope?" Cornelius stated hopefully.

"I bring disturbing news to you, dear Cornelius." Narcissa started, "Lucius was arrested earlier today for possession of a deadly dark artifact and attempted endangerment of the children of Hogwarts due to the same artifact."

Startled, but not completely shocked, Cornelius thought that this night just got longer by a few hours. "I'm so sorry Narcissa, I wasn't informed. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding and we can get this all worked out." Reaching out towards his orb to call Madame Bones, Narcissa stopped him. "On the contrary sir, I believe he is where he deserves. I have simply come here tonight to warn you about your known association with my husband, and perhaps help you."

Seeing the fear in his eyes Narcissa knew she almost had Fudge right where she wanted him. "You see dear Cornelius, my husband was caught red handed trying to hand over this deadly dark artifact to head of a departments daughter," Fudge paled at her words, this was not good, he thought. "That was not his only mistake however, he was caught by Harry Potter, and arrested by Kingsley Shacklebolt. Both of which have outstanding accreditation to the magical society. Kingsley with his honor and fairness, and Harry Potter with his victory over the Dark Lord." Fudge gulped rather loudly. Those were two big names in the magical community. "I myself, have been coerced by Lucius on many occasions, I will not allow myself or my son to go down with him for this." Narcissa spat, then softened her voice once more, "I couldn't see someone as dedicated to our family as you have been, go down with my git of a husband. I have come to offer my support for you to do what is right in this case. I wouldn't want you to lose your esteemed position over my husbands idiotic plan." Narcissa could see that her words were doing exactly as she wanted them to do, Fudge was now eating out of the palm of her hand at the thought of losing his comfy ministerial job.

"I thank-you my dear, you always had a better head for politics than your husband. I will most definitely make sure that his crimes do not go unpunished." Knowing quite well Narcissa's love of children, Cornelius sweetened the pot a little bit more, or so he thought he did, "We can't have him get away with the attempted harm of our societies children, Draco falls into the category after all." Smiling Narcissa thanked the Minister of Magic for his kind consideration of her son and left the office, _what a gullible git he is, but at least he's my gullible git and I didn't even have to pay him to be so._

Harry and Hermione sat and talked for several hours with Hermione's parents about all different kinds of things, the future, their hopes and dreams, the plans they had thought up with Harry's parents. Hermione felt grateful that her parents took the news so well, in all honesty she thought they would have had a bigger fight on their hands. Harry had picked up a book earlier at Flourish and Blotts about soul bonds knowing Hermione's parents, like herself, were avid readers. He thought that maybe having a book on what they shared would not only help them, but also settle some fears Mick and Jean might have too.

It was actually Jean who discovered the passage that explained the need for physical contact, which explained the need they had to be close to one another. Both decided to head to bed early that night, as it was not only a very long, tiring day, but Harry had to move his stuff from the guest room into Hermione's room. _I can't believe I was given permission to sleep with Hermione!_ Harry thought, completely forgetting that Hermione could still hear him. Listening to her giggle again after he thought that Harry felt obligated to say, "I guess this whole hearing my inner most thoughts thing is going to take some getting used to?" Harry said while shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sure there is a way to 'mute' our thoughts to each other, almost like a form of occlumency." Hermione mused. "Oh well, add it to the check list, will you dear?" Harry said with a yawn.

"Sure dear, right after Gringotts, Amelia, and freeing Sirius." Hermione said as she herself yawned.

_'Godric, we have a lot to do tomorrow' _thought Harry. "Yes we do, we should get some sleep now," Hermione said out loud to Harry's internal thought.

Handing his glasses to Hermione, who placed them on the nightstand next to her, Harry pulled Hermione tight up against him as he buried his face in her sweet smelling bushy hair that he loved so much.

_'Good night Mione, I love you' … 'I love you too, Harry."_

And with that the newly married Potters fell soundly asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Diary

Chapter 6 is a tad bit on the short side, simply for the fact that I was busy most of today, had to pick my lucky sister up from the airport after her cruise. Posting this a bit later than normal as well. Anyway, as always, I own nothing, all content goes to J.K. Rowling, the only thing I contributed was my twisted tale. Thanks for reading, and please review to let me know what you think! - Jwall

Chapter 6.

Lucius woke up spitting tacks, what was taking his blasted wife so damn long to get him released, and why hasn't anyone come to question him yet?

Lucius failed to realize exactly how much trouble he was in and threatening the guards only made things worse for him.

Amelia on the other hand, had never had a better day as head of the DMLE. Cissy was a brilliant source of information, and not just on Lucius, but on all his other seedy friends who always seemed to just slip thru the cracks.

Amelia could legally hold Lucius for up to 72 hours before having to bring him into questioning. She was going to give herself this time to figure out all she could on this Riddle character. Following this train of thought she finished reading the report she had received back from Croaker, the only unspeakable she trusted to keep this information to himself. Damn, it looked like she will have to involve Dumbledore, just like Harry suggested; not that she didn't trust Albus per say, it was just that any form of communication with him gave her a splitting headache, the man did like to ramble after all, and he had this infuriating habit of sticking his nose into things it didn't belong. Rubbing the tension she now felt in her neck, Amelia threw a bit of floo powder into the grate and called out to Albus.

Albus Dumbledore was currently sitting in his office going over some paperwork that never seemed to end, having got word that Harry was safely ensconced in the Granger residence, Albus supposed that the kid deserved a break. _His life at the Dursley's wasn't the easiest, and besides no one knew where the Granger's lived anyway._ During the time of his pondering, the grate of his fireplace lit up green with Amelia's crisp voice coming through the flames, "Albus are you there? I have a development over here that I was informed you would know about." Always curious and more than a little conceited that his vast knowledge was requested by the head of the DMLE, Albus responded, "I'm here Madam Bones, if you would prefer I could come thru to your office, that is, of course, unless you would like to come to Hogwarts?" Albus did not yet know the seriousness of this case, and one knew that the Ministry, in all its glory, was never the safest place to discuss sensitive topics. Amelia's reply gave him a little insight as to how serious things were, "If you don't mind Albus, I would feel better if we conducted this meeting in your office at Hogwarts. Do you mind if I step thru?" Giving permission saw the fading red-haired, monocle wearing, stern witch step thru the fireplace grate and take a seat in one of the comfy looking arm chairs on the other side of his desk. "What may I be of assistance with Amelia?" Albus questioned as she pulled out her wand to enlarge a security box she removed from her pocket. "Lucius Malfoy was found attempting to slip a dark artifact into Ginevra Weasley's basket while shopping at Flourish and Blotts yesterday. Harry Potter was shopping with them and noticed his slight of hand and had promptly warned Miss Weasley not to move; it was by sheer luck that his friend Miss. Granger had sought the assistance of one of my Aurors on duty, as your new professor seemed to have caused quite a riot in the alley with Mr. Potter." Giving Albus little time to interrupt, Amelia continued. "You should know that Mr. Potter was effected by this object, stating that his scar was burning. It was he who recommended that I get in contact with you, as the same feeling had happened during the incident you had here at the end of last term." Blushing ever so slightly, Dumbledore cleared his throat at the reference to Professor Quirrell's tenure last term, he had of course notified the head of the DMLE, but insisted upon keeping certain elements of the incident hushed up; as Hogwarts is sanctioned separately from the Ministry, meaning as long as he informed them of his findings, he was in the clear legally. This brought a whole different light to the meeting however, and Albus was curious as to what item she found that could relate to Voldemort, or, people who knew him best, Tom Marvolo Riddle, a name that the general wizarding public new very little about.

It was this name written on a book however that Amelia had pulled from the security box, with an aura of magic surrounding it that was pure evil; Albus, taken aback, let his composure slip just a little as a small gasp escaped from his throat.

Levitating the book, Dumbledore cast several diagnostic spells on Riddle's diary. "Interesting, very interesting, and you said that Lucius was in possession of this Amelia?" Albus asked while still casting spell after spell on the book. "Yes, and before you get any wild ideas Albus, I had Croaker already take a look at this, I also have an inside informant who relayed information onto me, when combined they leave me little doubt that this diary is in fact a horcrux." Dumbledore's eyes snapped up to meet hers as she said this, "Yes, I know what a horcrux is, I was also informed that this is not the only one made based on the tests that Croaker himself ran." Sighing Amelia could already see she would be in for an uphill battle to get information out of the grandfatherly old man, the twinkle in his eye was a tell-tale sign that he was going to help, however he wouldn't tell you the whole truth. _Let the migraine begin…_ Amelia thought tiredly.

Back at the Granger residence Harry didn't think he has had a better night's sleep in years! Not only did he feel completely rested and restored, but he woke up in a mess of tangled limbs with the love of his life. _I could definitely get used to this._ Harry thought to himself, _'yes you can, as I plan to be here for the rest of our lives love' _Hermione's voice answered him in his own head. Smiling Harry asked out loud, "What's the first thing on our agenda today love?"

Hermione sat up in bed and threw her hands up as she stretched to get all the kinks out, yawning she answered her husband's question, "First stop today is the Bank love, we once more will have to meet with your account manager. After that I do believe lunch will be in order before heading in to speak with Amelia Bones, oh I hope she has time to see us today? Maybe we should send her an owl this morning making sure." Pulling out a piece of parchment from her desk, Hermione quickly wrote a short note to the head of the DMLE, explaining that they had additional concerns and would like to speak with her at her earliest convenience. Once she was done addressing the envelope, Hermione tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and let her fly out thru her bedroom window.

"It's nice having her back, I never thought about it, but she is the first to come back from the dead." Harry said as he watched his familiar fly off in the distance. Suddenly he had arms wrapping him up from behind in a tight embrace as Hermione laid a small kiss to the side of his neck with a whisper, "And she won't be the last love."

Nodding, Harry padded off to the guest bath to get ready for the day as Hermione made her way to her en suite. Later, and with both of them dressed for the day, they headed downstairs and met Hermione's parents at the table, grabbing some toast and eggs, they quickly informed them of their plans as Jean was headed off to work, Mick would be accompanying them to the bank and then to the Ministry, or so they hoped.

Walking thru the archway behind the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Hermione instinctively reached out to hold hands, the need to have physical contact was strong, and most likely would remain this way for quite a while. They walked up to an open teller window at Gringotts and presented the goblin with the letter they received, they were quickly ushered off the floor of the bank and down the now familiar corridor bringing them into Bogrod's office. _'Do you think we should recommend the thief's mist thing to them? They were super pleased with my suggestions last time.' _Hermione said silently to Harry. Thinking for a bit he replied, _'How would we explain how we knew about the thief's downfall to begin with? Maybe at some point in the future, but definitely not today.'_ Hermione agreed with Harry's reasonings, they didn't know how the goblins would take the news about them traveling back in time, how could they even explain it to the people who they planned?

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, thank-you for meeting with me on such short notice, let me introduce myself, my name is Bogrod, I am the Potters account manager here at Gringotts, and I have been taking care of your accounts in both the magical and muggle worlds since the day your parents passed away… well before then actually, but that was solely due to James not able to be physically present for most of the required meetings." Harry smiling was ready to amaze his account manager, "Pleasure to meet you Master Bogrod, may all your enemies meet their end by your blade" Harry remembered the teachings Sirius gave him, in the last timeline however Bogrod said the greetings were unnecessary as they had gotten to know one another quite well; Harry hoped to get back on that level with the goblin, but knew it would take time.

Harry's assumption was correct, Bogrod was not only shocked, he was surprised that a welp as young as this one would not only know, but understand the proper etiquette in greeting a goblin, mainly because half the wizarding population seemed to have forgotten it. "Well met Mr. Potter, and may I congratulate you on astonishing a goblin." This was said with as a scary smile was draped on Bogrod's lips, "Now, lets get down to business shall we?" pausing just long enough to let the couple and their father sit, "I have asked you both here today as we have gotten informed about your soul bond." Bogrod waited to see if his proclamation on them being bonded would jolt them as much as Harry's greeting did to him, in turn it was him who was shocked that the couple just simply nodded. "I am guessing from both of your reactions and the lack of one from Mr. Granger that you both have already either deduced this yourselves or knew about it before hand, either way it effects a few things about your banking here at Gringotts."

Harry and Hermione were having an internal conversation while they somehow still managed to pay attention to Bogrod explaining to Harry, all the paperwork he would once again have to sign. _'Hermione,' _Harry all but whined, _'I just signed all these forms yesterday!' _Resisting the urge to roll her eyes Hermione responded, _'Yes love, but yesterday is so far in the future, and we hope to have changed a great many things before then, besides, think of your reward as getting to see your parents by the end of this!' _Hermione always knew the right things to say, Harry was in fact, was now super motivated to sign all the paperwork now that she so successfully pointed out that his parents await him at the end of the tunnel.

Richard Granger had already accepted that Harry Potter was now his son, what he didn't know, was how to accept that his new son was a bloody billionaire! _I wish Jean was here with me, she always was the more grounded out of the two of us. _Mick was pulled out of his thoughts by his daughter as she grabbed his arm, "Come on Dad, we are going to the vault now, according to the list of contents there are several items of interest we would like to investigate and then I think it's well past time for lunch."

Richard Granger was frozen to the spot at the doorway to his kid's vault, was there a word for people who were richer than billionaires? He wondered as he gazed up at Aladdin's cave of wonders come to life.

Back at Hogwarts, Amelia was just about at her wits end. _I swear it is easier to talk with a Centaur then to get this old bastard to give you a small piece of information. _So far all she has gotten out of him in the three hours that she was here was that T.M. Riddle stood for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a student of Hogwarts some fifty years ago, who eventually used an anagram of his name to become who they all knew as Lord Voldemort. She could tell that the Headmaster of Hogwarts was holding many aces up his sleeve but refused to share anything of meaning. Amelia was just about ready to give up when an owl flew in through the open window at the top of the study and landed on the desk in front of her.

Reading Hermione's letter left Amelia curious, _she doesn't sound like she's twelve years old?_ Folding the letter and placing it in the pocket of her cloak Amelia let Dumbledore know she would be in contact with him if anything further pops up, she packed up the horcrux, against Dumbledore's persistence that it remain with him, "Do I have to remind you Headmaster, that you not only live, but run a school full of children for ten months out of the year. This is no place for a horcrux, not to mention by keeping it here who's to say Lucius's plan doesn't become a reality. No, no, I think not, the horcrux will be coming back with me and placed in a secure unknown location that only myself and a select few I trust will have the knowledge of." With that Amelia stood up and bid the headmaster a good day and used the floo to head directly back to her office, she had a letter to write.

Harry had just gotten done introducing his father in law to his parent's portrait when a young Graplock handed Hermione a letter that was delivered by owl to the floor of the bank. Richard and James were now deep in a conversation about football when Harry apologized to his mum and walked over to the corner where she was standing. "Amelia says she's free to meet with us whenever we are finished with our errands," folding the letter Hermione let her gaze fall onto the tall bookshelf full of rare and first edition books. "We can come back here whenever we wish my love," Harry said out loud while internally he made the suggestion that they grab the same books that he did in the previous timeline.

Getting their fathers to end the topic of football was a bigger challenge than fighting a fully-grown mountain troll, _do you think it would be going too far to knock your father out for a brief moment Mione?_ Harry asked playfully. The only reply he got was a smack to the back of the head, which coincidentally, caused the conversation the men were having to stop as James had burst out laughing, meanwhile Lily simply stated, "That's my girl."

Letting Harry's parents know that they had to go, but fully intended to take their portrait to Hogwarts with them, they had the Goblins temporarily move them from the vault to the guest bedroom at the Granger residence, they would love to place them in the living room, but not only would the couple draw questions from any guests that Jean would invite over, it would break the statue of secrecy if they were to so much as blink in the presence of a muggle. Bidding his parent's goodbye Harry grabbed Hermione's hand as they left the bank, heading straight for the head of the DMLE's office, as she stated in her letter that she would have lunch delivered upon their arrival.

The orb on Amelia's desk once more rang out with Jo's chipper voice, "Madam Bones, Mr. Potter and guests are here to see you." Thanking her secretary, she had her send them in after getting their orders for lunch to have it delivered to her office. Opening the door Harry led Hermione in and greeted Amelia very politely, "Good afternoon Madam Bones, thank you for seeing us on such short notice." Harry shook her hand as he continued to introduce the people with him, "This lovely lady here is Hermione Potter, my wonderful wife, and this is her father Doctor Richard Granger"

Amelia went to school with the Marauders, in fact she knew James Potter quite well as both coming from prominent pure-blood families, they grew up together. This would be the exact kind of stunt James would pull to try and get a laugh, she thought, well he's going to have to try harder than that! "Very funny Mr. Potter, I see that you inherited your fathers love of mischief." Laughing lightly Harry let her know her mistake, "You are correct Madame Bones, I do find myself in quite a bit of mischief, I am the son of a Marauder after all, however I could never joke about being married to Hermione, you see we have recently discovered that we are a soul bond couple, in fact we received a letter from the ministry yesterday congratulating us on our marriage." Harry said as he handed her the letter they had gotten. Watching as Amelia read the letter they were a little taken aback by the tears in her eyes as she looked at them, "Jamie's boy soul bound to the brightest witch of her age, what is it with Potter men finding their perfect mate right away?"

This was something they hadn't prepared for, James was very adamant about them getting to Amelia Bones and telling her their story, his father had trusted 'Ami' as he called her to do what was right, but never in a million years did any of them guess that Amelia, the hardened leader of the law enforcement, would break down in tears on them.

"Harry, if I may call you that, I'm sorry for my tears, but I grew up with your father, we were quite close as children, and even while in Hogwarts. I was distraught when he was murdered, almost as much as when Voldemort killed my two brothers." Amelia paused to wipe away her tears and blow her nose, "Jamie had asked me if he could list me as one of the people to raise you should anything happen to them, I want you to know I fought tooth and nail to try and gain custody of you, but I was low man on the totem pole back then, and couldn't beat the word of the great Albus Dumbledore." Harry just nodded, as he already knew everything there was to know about his parents will, they had gone over it for what felt like several days.

"I'm just so happy to see that you have found someone who will love you unconditionally like Jamie had in Lily" Amelia finished just as the food had arrived.

"Madam Bones," Harry started but was cut off, "Call me Amelia, Harry, at least while we are in private" she stated as she took a small bite of her sandwich. "Alright, Amelia." Harry started once more. "I'm hoping that with all that has come up here today that you will give me a chance to tell you a tale, one that I promise you with all my heart, is one hundred percent true." Getting a funny feeling in her gut Amelia nodded as to let Harry know to continue, "Excellent. I'm going to start by saying after my tale is over with I have a sure fire way to prove everything I'm telling you is true, all I ask is that you let me finish before you question my tale. Okay?" Crossing his fingers Harry waited for her reply.

Agreeing to his terms Amelia listened, shell shocked at the tale he was spinning, time travel, a second wizarding war, talk about hunting horcruxes… if Amelia hadn't already decided to believe him due to the knowledge of horcruxes, the secret nick name from her childhood that only Jamie would know about coming out of his sons mouth definitely did. "My dad told me to tell you to take care of me, and that he trusted very few people. He assured me that his 'Milly Mayhem' would have no problem fighting the bad guys off." Harry said with a fond smile glued to his face. No one in the world would ever know that name, except for Jamie, as he was the only one she allowed to use it.

With Amelia fully on board the Potters continued to tell her their plans for this timeline and what they had in store for the next few days. Amelia couldn't believe what she was hearing, Sirius Black was innocent?! Not only was he innocent but he had never received a proper trial and Pettigrew was still alive, living as a rat currently stowed away at the Burrow. My word, they did have a lot to accomplish didn't they.

Thinking on her feet, Amelia let loose the plan that was taking form in her head. "Harry, I have a close friend of mine, who I recently got reacquainted with. I hope by now, with your fathers backing, that you can and will trust my judgement here. I'm not saying that we tell her the whole story, but I believe that she would be a great asset to some of the ambitious plans you have already on the books." Amelia paused to take a breath then continued, "I would even be willing to bet she would take an oath if it meant she could accomplish some of her own aims at the same time. For me it would be like killing two birds with one curse." Hermione laughed a little at the witches' version of an old muggle saying and asked. "And just who is this witch you have in mind Amelia?"

Amelia was surprised the walls didn't shake with the anger coming out of the twelve year old, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY WOULD WE PURPOSELY GIVE INFORMATION TO THE ENEMY?" Hermione yelled when she found out it was Narcissa Malfoy nee Black who Amelia wanted to bring semi into the know.

"Calm down love, remember, she did lie to Voldemort to save my life in the last timeline." Harry said as he tried to soothe his wife's ire by rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "One act of good, doesn't erase all the acts of bad, I know it wasn't her who carved that foul word into my arm, but she was her sister! And it happened in her house!" Hermione was well past being rational at this point. _I wonder if I could slip a memory charm past the head of the DMLE?_ She thought to herself, or what she thought was herself.

"Hermione!" Harry scolded his wife for the thought she just had, "Let's not jump to conclusions here, you didn't even let Amelia finish her reasonings behind her decision. I know you are agitated dear, but we can't place judgement on things we know nothing about yet. Remember we have already set off a change in the original timeline, this could have stemmed from it." Harry, not used to being the rational one in the relationship, prayed that he didn't piss her off any further than she was. _Please God, don't let me lose her over this._ Harry's internal thoughts once again broadcasted over to Hermione, it was his sudden plea that caused her to stop and take a breath. _You will never lose me Harry, I'm sorry I got upset. I guess my emotions are still quite raw when it comes to the Malfoys, but you are right, we should hear Amelia's side of the story, she has never done wrong by us in the other timeline, and I don't wish to see her die again. _Hermione said silently. Harry nodding at what she said turned to speak to Amelia however her face was priceless, he knew he constantly forgets that Hermione can hear his thoughts, but was even more forgetful that other people wouldn't understand when they communicated silently just by staring, that it could be disorienting.

"Ummm, sorry about that Amelia, did we forget to mention that we can communicate telepathically?"

"No, you seemed to have left that little tid bit out, although not too surprising, even with little being known when it comes to soul bonds, there are still a few smaller bits that people theorize about, telepathy is one of them" Blushing quite a deep shade of red Hermione too apologized, "I'm sorry too Amelia, I guess I let my emotions get the better of me, I would love to blame it on my age, however even thought I appear to be twelve, in real life I'm already an adult and I should act like one."

Accepting her apology Amelia immediately informed them of why she believed Narcissa Malfoy might be their best bet in accomplishing several of their goals.

In the end Amelia asked her personal elf to deliver a message to Cissy, asking her to come to her office as soon as she was able to. Star, Amelia's personal elf, was only gone for a few moments when she popped back into the office with Narcissa in tow.

Narcissa Malfoy was currently looking over a few place settings, attempting to choose one for the Orphanage Charity Ball, an event she had been planning every year for the past decade. It was her way to give back to all the families affected by the war, it was because of that war that so many children were left without a family to call their own. Since then Narcissa made it her goal in life to make sure that none of the children in the orphanage would be under fed, or not given a toy to play with. She felt it was ironic cruel justice that Lucius dark money went toward something as pure as the orphanage.

Narcissa was startled out of her focus when Star, Ami's elf, popped in asking if she were available that Madam Bones would like to speak with her. Choosing the very pretty gold-leaf pattern, and letting Draco know that she was off to a meeting, Narcissa grabbed Star's tiny had as they disapperated off to the ministry of magic.

The moment Narcissa landed in Amelia's office she could feel the tension in the air, sitting before her was none other than the Boy Who Lived and the Smartest Witch of her age. Draco had informed her on Miss. Grangers rather high grades, as she was the only one higher on the list for their age group than himself, this causing quite a commotion at home when Lucius found out; after all how could his precious pure-blooded son get beaten out by a snotty mudblood.

Wishing she was suddenly someplace else, Narcissa turned to Amelia, "What can I do for you today Madam Bones?" thinking that it would be best to play the part in mixed company. "You can drop the act Cissy; I have already told them all about your change in attitude and the reasons behind it." Shocked that Amelia would give out that information without her permission, Cissy wondered what exactly was going on here.

"Cissy, these two have just recently found out a few things that can be of some help to your cause, not only are these details verifiable, but I have documented proof an a few of them straight from the ministry itself." Amelia started off, "Before we go any further though the two have asked, and I think it would be in your best decision to agree, to have you perform an unbreakable vow to not willingly give out what they wish to remain secret. Trust me Cissy, it will be worth it for you, as they have a fool proof way to remove you from Lucius's talons." Thinking about her options, Narcissa decided that what they asked was not unreasonable, given who she was married to and everything. Feeling that she was going to like what information these two children bring forth Narcissa quickly agreed to the unbreakable vow, with the amendment that being under the effects of veritaserum would be clearly stated as 'not willing', Narcissa took the oath.

Happy that she almost instantly agreed to the vow went along way into calming Hermione's nerves. Amelia had described the information that Narcissa had given her, they were shocked to find out that Narcissa knew about the horcruxes, and about Regulus. But nothing would compare to how shocked they were when Amelia let them know about everything Cissy had said about Lucius, it looked like they had a better support team then they could ever plan for this go around.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione started, "Would you believe us if we told you Sirius Black was innocent, and that he was thrown into prison without a trial?" Hermione decided to start with something that would ultimately help Narcissa the most. "Please dears, call me Narcissa or Cissy, I'm starting to loath the Malfoy name, but to answer your question of would I believe you, the answer would be yes, there was plenty of shady happenings in the ministry at that time, lord knows my husband deserved to have been placed in a cell more than my cousin did." And it was true, Narcissa couldn't see Sirius ever turning on James Potter, they were practically brothers after all, more so then Sirius and Regulus were anyway.

"Excellent, because we are attempting to get him freed from Azkaban before we head out on September the first, and we think that you can help us with it." Hermione said with the grit of determination in her voice.

And so Harry, Hermione, and Amelia laid forth their plans to Narcissa, who in all her wisdom had a few suggestions to make the plan better, gave Harry and Hermione the hope that they would pull this all off before they board the express after all!

Richard Granger didn't have much in ways of contributing to the conversation, instead he chose to sit quietly in the background, beaming like every parent does when they are super proud of their children, he didn't even think Narcissa noticed him. It was well after five in the afternoon when Mick made his presence known, making Narcissa jump a little bit, bringing a smile to his face. _Nope, just like I thought she either didn't see me or she saw me and then forgot I was here. _Laughing internally at his stealthy prowess, he informed the kids that their mother will be home shortly and that they should be getting home to meet her for supper.

Everyone agreed to meet once more tomorrow to set their plans in motion, thinking that the Wizengamot won't know what hit them.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Trial

Yesterday was along day, I'm still dealing with my back issues and the medicine that I'm on sometimes makes me quite sleepy. I had the chapter typed but I always re-read it myself so I can make sure I got the details right and go over any weirdly worded sentences. I try my best to proof-read myself, I have heard of people using Beta's but not sure how to go about doing that, or if its needed for my story since I'm not a big writer? Something I will look into for the future I guess. Anyway, like always nothing but the story line comes from me, everything else is owed to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Thank-you for all the reviews, even if you don't see things the way I do I truly appreciate that you took the time to write something down, and who knows maybe I take your suggestions and twist the current direction of my story even more than I planned on. To all the messages I have recieved privately, thank-you for all the kind words of inspiration! I hope you enjoy the chapter, I will see you in the next one :)

-Jwall

Chapter 7

She wouldn't give up, no matter how much pain she was in, Hermione was determined to keep going or die trying. She heard her name being screamed someplace off in the distance, felt the piercing pain in her arm as she was being branded, smelled all the blood that most likely was her own; but she wouldn't give the bitch the satisfaction of breaking her spirit. She hadn't come this far to throw in the towel now. She felt the body-weight lift off her and knew her life would be forfeited in a few seconds, she closed her eyes and thought of him, those beautiful green eyes, she never got to tell him how she felt, but then again they never really needed words to talk with each other, they often communicated just fine by glances.

Wondering what was taking so long, Hermione slowly opened one eye, it was then that she was brought back into the present as she was dragged up to her feet, she could now hear all the screaming and the yelling, having her head forcefully pulled back by her hair, she was forced to look up; what she saw from her forced perspective was hope. Dobby was sitting on top of the chandelier, he was slowly unscrewing the thing from its base, she didn't even care if she was crushed, so long as the nasty witch besides her perished as well. That's when she saw it, Dobby's foot had accidentally knocked loose a piece of the chandelier, it was falling at a rapid pace, set to strike her enemy right on the shoulder. This was it, Hermione thought, we are all going to die; but the crystal never hit them, she watched as it slowed its progression, she heard the battle in the background but her entire focus was on that now floating crystal.

Suddenly she was pulled away by an invisible force, the chandelier came crashing down, she was surrounded by familiar limbs, felt the pull of apparition, screamed when she saw the knife hurdling towards her, then suddenly she was awake.

Harry was struggling, trying to hold Hermione still, trying to keep her from hurting herself by hitting her head on the corner of her nightstand, he had already thrown up a silencing charm to shelter the rest of the house from her paralyzing, tortured screams. Harry knew exactly what caused those screams, as her nightmare was being broadcast over their bond, he could see and feel every pain, every emotion, he heard every thought that was going through his beautiful wife's head. It was pure torture to relive that particular moment in time, but he had to keep himself strong, Hermione needed him.

Hermione's eyes shot open and searched the room frantically, taking a deep breath she kept repeating over and over to herself, _it was just a dream, you're okay, it was just a dream, you're okay. _Harry sighed with relief as Hermione seemed to be back with him once more. _'Merlin Mione, is that what you go through on a nightly basis?' _Harry asked, curious if there was anyway to prevent her from having that nightmare again. _'No, I haven't had that particular nightmare since Fred's funeral' _Hermione sighed, noticing that her throat was raw. _'Was I loud? Did I wake you up?' _Hermione asked, a little embarrassed.

"Hermione, there is no reason to feel embarrassed. We have both seen some gruesome things, and yes you were quite loud, I was able to place a silencing charm on the room though, I didn't think your parents would handle your tortured screaming all to well. I was barely able to stay in control as you were broadcasting the whole thing thru our bond." Harry said while pulling her into a loving embrace.

"You could see everything?" Hermione croaked out. "Yes my love, and it was bloody terrifying." Harry said with a shiver, "Come, let's get dressed and we can get you a warm cup of tea to soothe your throat." Pulling her up with himself as he stood, Harry placed a gentle kiss on her temple as he left her to her morning routine, he himself exited the room in what was becoming his morning routine of walking to the guest bathroom.

Hermione wasn't the only person having horrible nightmares that morning, one scraggly looking man with long black hair and haunted grey eyes, was currently in a dementor induced nightmare, screaming as he looked upon the dead body of his brother in all but blood. Unlike Hermione, who had endured several horrifying events that pick and choose when they would haunt her, Sirius Black was forced to relive the same dream day in and day out, as entrusting his best friends family to a rat was his biggest regret in life.

Sirius had just awoken screaming, not for the first time that night, and was just getting ready to transform into Padfoot to escape the effects of the dementors when something strange happened. The ever looming presence of the dementors eased away until there was nothing but calmness, it wasn't an unheard-of experience, but it rarely happened anymore, who had any need for the reprobates who now lived in this wing of the prison anymore? The last time the dementor presence was completely withdrawn was roughly five years ago give or take, when Augustus Rookwood's family had attempted to get him released, claiming they had new evidence to prove he was under the imperious curse.

They lost, of course, and Rookwood was returned to his personal hole in the wall not even twenty-four hours later. _ At least he got an attempt to prove he was an arsehole…_ Sirius thought bitterly. Sitting up and resting his back against the wall, Sirius was attempting to talk himself in to taking a stab at eating what the guards passed off as his breakfast, it would be so much easier to imagine this grey, lumpy, gelatin concoction was actually a bowl of porridge without the dementors present.

He had just gotten the spoonful of fake porridge up to his lips when the unthinkable happened, his cell door opened, and Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in its place. "Sirius Black, you are to come with me without defiance, it seems some family has stepped forth with new evidence to prove your innocence." Shack said in that deep baritone voice of his.

Sirius didn't notice the blob of food fall off his spoon and into his lap, mouth left agape, Sirius wasn't even sure he was processing the tall Aurors words properly. In fact, Kingsley had to physically close his mouth and help him to his feet before Sirius even had time to realize he as stumbling into a waiting boat outside the prison walls.

Kingsley followed every rule by the book, he didn't want to take a chance of anyone claiming favoritism or foul play, Sirius was removed from Azkaban in full magic inhibiting cuffs, and a silencing charm securely in place, as well as hood over his head. No one would even know who the prisoner was, just that he was being transported to the Ministry for a trial hearing. He never believed that Sirius was guilty of murdering those dozen muggles, or the betrayal of the Potters. The Sirius Black that he knew from auror training would never willingly murder innocent people. On top of that the body of Peter Pettigrew was never found, anyone could chop off a finger, they had found enough pieces from the other victims, why was Peter different? Something just wasn't right about that whole crime scene, but who would have believed him, barely out of training himself at the time and an outsider to boot.

Amelia was to meet with Cissy and the Potters at nine o'clock that morning, it was currently six, and she had just finished getting the paperwork to have Sirius Black released from Azkaban signed by the Minister and had sent Shack to complete the transfer. Cissy was right, they had discovered that Sirius never had a trial, he was simply picked up at the scene of the crime and been thrown straight into the high security wing at Azkaban.

What the hell could Bagnold have been thinking? Hell, what could her mentor Barty Crouch have been thinking? It was foolish to send anyone to prison without a trial, as even people as guilty as the Lestrange's both got a chance to explain themselves! Something was very fishy here, she would love to ask Dumbledore his side of the story, as he was a very big part of the problem, being head of the Wizengamot at the time; but she doubted that he would give her a solid answer. _For the greater good he would say,_ what a load of tosh.

Amelia was currently waiting for the head of the department for the misuse of muggle artifacts to arrive, Arthur was a good man, and she knew that he wouldn't have any issues bringing in his son's pet rat for an investigation.

The orb on her desk let her know that he had arrived, Jo's normally chipper voice seems a bit off as she announced him as he walked through the door, _hmm it sounds as though Jo could use a good cup of coffee,_ Amelia thought as she asked her secretary to have some tea be delivered and told her to throw on anything that she would like to the bill, Amelia understood that Jo did a lot for her and liked to rewarded her with kindness anytime she could.

That being done, Amelia stood to welcome her fellow co-worker to her office. "Good morning Arthur, I hope you are well this morning." She said politely as she reached out to shake his hand. "Every day is a good morning when I'm not pranked before walking out the door Amelia!" Arthur said with a chuckle as he returned the handshake. "Ah yes, the twins, Minerva has made me aware of their aptitude for pranks," Arthur paled at her words, the thought of his boy's getting in trouble caused his heart to get logged in his throat. "She did say they had several products that with some fine tuning would make great enhancements to our department." Amelia finished quickly noticing the look every parent had when they thought their children were in trouble. Pride replaced the pale worry on Arthurs face as he beamed at her. "Yes, they are quite inventive pranksters, they have dreams of opening a joke shop here in the alley" Arthur said with pride.

Amelia had no doubt that the two would make fantastic products from everything that Minerva had told her, but she needed to get down to the original reason for this meeting today, "I have no doubt that they will succeed if they so wish to Arthur, but I'm afraid I'm running a tight schedule this morning and must insist we get down to the official reason I asked you to meet with me this morning." Nodding his head Arthur understood and asked her to continue.

"It has been brought to my attention that one of your son's is in possession of what is to be believed as an ordinary common rat? Is this correct?" Thinking this was an odd question, _who cares about a smelly rat?_ Arthur confirmed that Scabbers did in fact belong to Ron, as Percy had handed him down when he received his owl, Hermes.

"A member of our department of mysteries was wondering if he would be able to observe your rat, he says that an ordinary common rat would only live for two to five years. They believe that you may be in possession of a mutated or half breed of magical rat and had requested to observe it in hopes of better understanding." Amelia knew that it was a strange request, however the department of mysteries employed some strange people, all set and determined to discover new and interesting things, she supposed the story was believable as they don't normally like to interact with many outside of the department.

Arthur just blinked, he did admit that Scabbers was rather unusual, and did suppose that he could possibly be a uncommon species of magical rodent… and so he agreed and had asked to use Amelia's floo connection to explain and have Molly pass the rat through. Amelia thanked Arthur and conjured a cage that she magically reinforced to prevent animagus transformation. She then invited Arthur to the hearing of Sirius Black later that day as she felt she owed it to him to see the real reason she wanted his rat, and because she knew the Weasley family adored Harry. Arthur agreed to being at the trial then excused himself after finishing his tea. Amelia didn't think that could have went any smoother if she tried. Her plan was coming together nicely, now all she had to do was make sure she didn't leave any wiggle room for Dumbledore to decide any other verdict other than innocent for Sirius; for that she needed Narcissa.

Sirius Black was shocked; he was placed into a ministry holding cell right after being allowed to bathe for the first time in almost eleven years. Oh, they allowed you to clean up in Azkaban, but a very small bucket full of cold sea water and a conjured sponge that would disappear in thirty minutes was not what most would call a bath. Sirius's bones rejoiced as the warm water washed away years of dirt and grime, he was looking forward to his first decent meal in years too, as even the meager buttered bread and carton of milk was like top sirloin and ale to the prisoner.

Sitting down to his 'feast' Sirius was joined by the last person he thought he would ever see, Narcissa Malfoy walked in and took a seat opposite of him. "Good morning Cousin." Narcissa said with a small welcoming smile.

Sirius's voice was a tad bit stronger than it was back in his cell, but not much, "What do you want Cissy?" Sirius asked in a scratchy tone.

"Now, now, Sirius, let me speak, your voice is still gaining strength, no doubt from its lack of use in the past several years." Narcissa spoke calmly, even though her heart was racing, "I am allowed to see you before the trial as it was I who asked for your case to finally be brought before the Wizengamot." The word shocked wouldn't do itself justice, Sirius thought, as he comprehended her words. "I know this seems sudden, and I'm positive that you don't trust me, why would you? I was on the opposite side of the war, and you probably believed that your mother was my favorite aunt. Everyone else did." Narcissa let a little bit of a nervous chuckle out, "I played my part well out of necessity, Andi and you rebelled against the rules and you got yourselves disowned from the family. I couldn't do that Sirius, I was already betrothed to Lucius, and you know as well as I do that Abraxas was not the type of person to cross." Shivering slightly Narcissa continued her reason for being here, "I hate Lucius with a passion, but I had to protect myself and eventually my son, from both him and Abraxas. I never lifted my wand against anyone unless I had to, I refused to take the dark mark, and made myself scarce at meetings with the Dark Lord." It was at her next declaration that Narcissa knew Sirius would either accept her or deny her, she wanted to tread carefully but could see no other way to get across her message in the time that she had, so she just went for it.

"It was brought to my attention quite a long time ago that the Dark Lord took precautions to preserve himself, your brother Regulus let me know as much before his untimely death at the hands of Voldemort." Sirius's face was frozen, a perfect O created by his shocked expression. Narcissa continued, "He was a turncoat Sirius, your brother was killed as he was trying to dispatch one of these 'precautions', I thought you should know." With tears now forming in his eyes Sirius asked a simple question, one that would be quite difficult for Narcissa to answer fully in the thirty minutes she had remaining with him. "Why now?"

As if to solidify her spot on the right side this time, a miracle walked through his cell door. "Because your godson would like to be able to finally live with his godfather," Amelia stated matter of factly as she took a seat next to Narcissa. "Hello Sirius." She said almost with a laugh at the look of astonishment on his face.

Walking down the stairs Harry and Hermione took a seat at the kitchen counter watching while Jean went about getting things ready for breakfast, Harry, trained from a young age to make the breakfast, offered his help, to which Jean gratefully accepted. "Thank-you dear, please don't feel like you have to, if I didn't make breakfast these two would only survive on toast and cereal." Laughing along with his mother in law, Harry picked up a knife and quickly and carefully, cut up the fruit she had laid out into tiny chunks for a fruit bowl. Cooking was always one of his favorites 'chores' to do for the Dursley's, and he would like to think he got quite good at it over the years. Seeing that Harry was comfortable enough with a knife and he wasn't going to cut himself Jean asked what the plans for today were as it was her day to attend to meetings and the like with the children.

"Well," Harry started as he switched from cutting up a melon to picking grapes off their stems, "today is going to be quite exciting; we have a trial set up for Sirius, my godfather, to get him freed from the wizarding prison, and then hopefully the rest of the day can be spent integrating him back into society." Raising her eyebrow questioningly, Hermione answered her unasked question, "Azkaban, the wizarding prison, is a million times worse than anything the muggle world could do to you, short of brutal torture." Hermione shivered just thinking about being surrounded by dementors, that got her thinking though, _'Harry, do you think we could still cast our patroni? Do you think they changed?' _Harry thought about Hermione's questions as he was combining all the fruit into a big bowl. _'Yes, we should still be able to cast them, as we not only have more magical power now, but a lot stronger, happier memories to power them. As far as them changing, who's to say until we actually cast it, your mom seemed interested in watching you perform magic, shall we dazzle her?' _Harry asked while raising an eyebrow towards her.

Thinking her mom would love the demonstration Hermione put forth their question, "Mum, do you want to take a break from breakfast for a bit, Harry and I have a theory we would like to test out and I think you would love to see it." Excited to see her kids perform magic, Jean finished up the pancake she was working on then set the skillet to the side as she walked out into the living room where Richard was reading the morning post. Harry and Hermione followed after placing a stasis charm on the food to keep it fresh and warm.

Harry went first as his was the least likely to change, with barely a whisper Harry cast, "Expecto Patronum!" Richard and Jean could feel a difference in the air, almost as if it were charged with positive energy, but they didn't see anything come from Harry's spell. Hermione gasped at the difference before she was suddenly curious as to why her parent's weren't reacting to the beautiful, now golden, stag that had just walked up to her nuzzling into her arm, when it suddenly hit her, they couldn't see it! Catching her thought Harry moved over to the two and placed a hand on each one of their shoulders, allowing them to see the magic for themselves, just like they had to do with the Leaky Cauldron; gasping Jean covered her mouth with a hand as Prongs became visible to her, now walking over and nudging her free hand with his nose. "It's so beautiful!" she whispered in amazement. "Hermione, are you able to produce something like this too? Is yours a Stag as well?" Richard asked in a voice a little louder than his wife's, he too was amazed at the powerful display of magic. Rather than answering her father's question out loud, Hermione, now more than a little curious to see if her patronus was also golden, simply cast. It was now Hermione's turn to gasp, instead of her normal silver swimming otter a beautiful golden doe joined Prongs in front of her parents.

Hermione couldn't help but stare at her changed patronus, they knew it was possible to have it change based on a strong emotion, after all they knew two people who's patronus changed due to major events in their lives, Severus Snape and Nymphadora Tonks. Snape's silver snake morphed into a doe after his best friend and love of his life passed away, a nod to her honor, and Tonk's had let them know her hare changed into a rather large wolf when she realized she was in love with Remus Lupin. Yes, it was possible for your patronus to change, but Harry was taken aback as a matching pair of patroni as this was a rather rare occurrence, the only other pair they knew about where his parents, add to that the fact that theirs both had changed from a wispy silver to beautiful golden hue and you were in a whole new ballpark all together.

Still thinking about the change in her patronus had Hermione basically on auto-pilot all thru breakfast, leaving Harry to fill in the time-frame for today to her mother.

"Ready to go dears?" a still cheerful Jean asked the two pseudo youngsters, as she grabbed the keys to her car, "we have a little bit of a drive ahead of us, we will need to leave shortly if we want to make it to the ministry on time." Agreeing with her, the pair joined her in the garage, hopping in the beautiful Land Rover, and heading into London.

They arrived at Amelia's office just in time for her to lead them down to the holding cells, she wanted to give Harry a little bit of time to speak with his godfather before the trial begins, as this was his basic right as family, Amelia knew no one would dare say a word about it. She had just heard Sirius ask her friend the one question she knew would take all day to answer when they had arrived, "Why now?" Deciding to make a grand entrance Amelia walked in and told Sirius exactly why he was here today, his shock at her answer and presence in his cell was minuscule in his unadulterated joy at seeing Harry walk in.

Harry knew he should school his expression, that he should act as though he didn't know who this man was, but he couldn't help himself; Harry was overrun with emotions at seeing Sirius alive and for a lack a better term, well.

Still having to follow procedures, Sirius was not allowed to be released from his chair while the door was open. Harry was informed the reasons why beforehand; they couldn't show any ounce of favoritism or leniency in the rules if they hope to have a fighting chance at Sirius gaining his freedom. That being said there was nothing stopping Harry from rushing up and throwing his arms around his godfathers' neck. Leaning into the hug Sirius was taken aback at how much Harry looked like James, tears stung his eyes as he finally got a good look at the kid he was supposed to have raised, speaking the words he had been wanting to say these past eleven years, "I am so sorry Harry that I wasn't there to raise you," Harry cut Sirius off, "Me too Sirius, but it wasn't your fault, it was our governments fault, they are the ones who placed you in Azkaban without a trial, something we hope to right today."

If Sirius thought he was surprised by seeing Harry, listening to him talk as if he was an adult was an even bigger surprise._ Wasn't he just twelve years old?_

Sirius didn't have time to ponder that question long as the thirty minutes were up and it was showtime.

Sirius entered the courtroom thru the floor while chained to his chair, once he was in the chamber properly he searched the public balconies until he found what he was looking for, sitting to his left in the front row sat Harry, squished in between a beautiful older woman, and what must be her daughter as one didn't have to look hard to see the resemblance. Both of them noticed he had spotted them and waived, _It seems the Potter curse has struck again,_ thinking back to when James first declared he was in love with his 'Lily flower', _except Harry seems to have done it a lot smoother than his old man. _Resisting the urge to laugh Sirius focused on the task at hand, drinking the required potion to prove he wasn't given anything to neutralize the veritaserum, and waiting the required ten minutes for the results; followed closely by the actual administering of the truth serum and a few obligatory opening questions to prove it was working.

Madame Bones had walked the Wizengamot thru the tale leading up to Sirius' incarceration, she questioned several people, Barty Crouch included, about the reasons behind Sirius' lack of trial, brought to light the whole Peter Pettigrew situation, and asking Sirius who the real secret keeper was. Throughout this whole process Harry kept glancing around the chamber, seeing who was reacting to certain pieces of information as they came up, he also noticed when a rather tall, thin man with graying hair enter at the back of the courtroom. The man looked rather worn out and was wearing neatly patched clothing, he appeared to have tears shining in his eyes as Sirius was telling his story. Harry just smiled and sent a silent message for Hermione to follow his line of sight. She too noticed Remus Lupin the moment he walked in, how could you not, the man had become like a father to them after Sirius had passed away. Her heart was full of emotion as she wondered if they would be blessed with meeting the scarred professor just a little bit earlier than last time.

Amelia was pleased, the trial couldn't have gone much better and the Wizengamot was only out debating for a total of 15 minutes; when they returned Albus Dumbledore took the podium to announce Sirius a free wizard, and to inform him and the public that he will be compensated for the time spent wrongly incarcerated.

Albus then announced that the Order of Merlin that was presented 'posthumously' to Peter Pettigrew would be immediately revoked as a search for his where abouts began. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth Amelia immediately stood up and informed the governed body that she had already plugged up that leak, and asked Shack to bring in her most recent prisoner.

Arthur Weasley was emotionally happy for the son he all but adopted. He would finally have the family he wanted, not just the family that he chose. All that emotion dried up rather quickly when he noticed Kingsley Shacklebolt walk into the chamber with a cage containing his sons' rat, Scabbers. Getting a bad feeling in his gut Arthur sat back down to listen to the addendum to Sirius' trial.

"What is the meaning of this Madam Bones?" questioned a rather droll looking woman in a pink cardigan, "You stated that you had found Peter Pettigrew but in turn have brought us a common rat in a cage." The sickly annoying voice of Madame Delores Umbridge announced.

Freeing Sirius from the chains and handing over his wand that was confiscated from him all those years ago, Amelia asked him to assist her. Smiling a broad smile Sirius let his actions answer her better than his words ever could.

Sirius cast the animagus reversal spell while Amelia sent off a stunner, followed closely by slapping magical inhibiting hand cuffs and chaining the rat to the chair Sirius just vacated. As an extra precaution, Sirius placed a knee-high fence surrounding the chair, Peter wasn't getting away from his fate without a fight.

"He's an animagus?" Griselda Marchbanks inquired after all the modifications were done. "Yes," Sirius replied, "we all where. James and I registered our forms when we graduated Hogwarts and started in with the Aurors; for obvious reasons our registration was not documented on the normal registry, as aurors, it would be highly beneficial to help us remain anonymous while on a mission. To the best of my knowledge, Peter here never registered his form with the ministry of magic. Probably why he was able to survive so long unnoticed."

Arthur Weasley felt sick to his stomach, he had a traitor living in his home for the past eleven years, that man had slept in the same bed as two of his sons. He realized now that Amelia's request for the department of mysteries to observe his son's rat was false, she would, however, never receive any complaint from him, as she had served him a great justice today. Standing he wanted this justice to be made known, even at his own embarrassment at addressing the whole chamber. "Excuse me, Chief Warlock, would it be alright if I said a few words?" Arthur asked permission from Dumbledore. Upon getting approval Arthur continued. "I would just like to say that this rat, as I refuse to call him a man, has been living under my roof for the past eleven years as a pet to my two of my sons." Shivering he followed thru with his speech, "I am not only disgusted and appalled by this, but wish to make it known that Ronald, my youngest son, shared a dorm room last year with Harry Potter. Mr. Pettigrew has had access, and who knows what he could have done or will do, to Harry Potter, and no one would have known any different. Who's to say he couldn't have framed anyone's child in Harry's murder? I know I don't have much a say in the matters of the Wizengamot, but if I did, I would vote that the full weight of the governing body be placed on his head. Thank-You." There, Arthur said his piece, he just hoped his little speech helped Amelia and not hinder her.

Amelia was awash with joy, Arthurs little speech did more than just convince the Wizengamot, he carried the public vote to the forefront of the chamber and helped her more than he could ever know.

If people thought Sirius' trial was short, Peter Pettigrew's was even shorter. The chief warlock once again took the podium to announce the verdict after just five minutes of discussion. "It has been decided here today the 27th of August, 1992 that Peter Irving Pettigrew is found guilty of twelve counts of murder, two counts of assisting with murder, being an unregistered animagus, and for being a morally corrupt individual letting your so called friend rot in prison for your crimes, the Wizengamot here by sentences you to the dementors kiss, following, your soulless body will be passed thru the veil of death no later than midnight tonight."

Silence encompassed the chamber, the sentence was the harshest since the war against Voldemort, not even the Lestrange's, who were unquestionably the most hated witch and wizard in magical society besides Voldemort, had been ordered the kiss. Although shocked, no one made an argument against its fairness, they supposed if he could escape justice once, who's to say he wouldn't escape again. A rat after all could fit through nearly any thing. Pettigrew was forced into his form and placed back in the specialized cage that Shack had brought him out in, he would remain in that cage in the care of Shack until his sentence could be carried out, Amelia wasn't taking any chances.

Deciding to try and stretch her luck Amelia once more took her spot at the podium again, "Thank-you ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I ask for your time for just a little bit longer as I have one more prisoner in my possession that requires a trial, as we are all gathered here today, I feel like we could avoid having to all meet again in a few days' time." Amelia then began giving the information on Lucius Malfoy, she had agreed with Dumbledore that the wizarding public need not know necessarily about the horcruxes, instead they would just use Dumbledore's and Croakers word that the diary was loaded with dangerous dark rituals and spells that would spread discord throughout the magical world. With Narcissa's helpful tips, Amelia had documented proof of all of Lucius's other shady dealings. Eventually she convinced the Wizengamot to allow her to get some veritaserum in good ole Lucius.

Catching Lucius Malfoy off guard didn't happen that often, catching him off guard while getting him in front of the Wizengamot was even more rare. Lucius didn't even get the chance to try and talk his way out of a trial before he was given the potion cleanser and then the normal dose of veritaserum.

After a few questions to verify that the truth serum was working Amelia got to work. "Lucius Malfoy, did you attempt to give Ginevra Weasley, a book that would be classified as a dark artifact at Flourish and Blotts?" Amelia got a short and simple yes, and moved onto her next question, "Did you know what the book would do when in her possession?" Lucius was sweating bullets by this point, cursing the day he came up with this idiotic idea he answered the witches question, "Not really, I could feel that the book possessed powerful compulsion charms to make the user write in its pages, I could only assume that it would force the user to do the bidding of its owner, in this case I was hoping for it to release terror and destruction on the muggleborns." Gasps could be heard coming from all different parts of the chamber as Amelia continued her questioning. "Lucius Malfoy, did you join the death eaters on your own free will?"

Before he could answer a wizard stood up from the Wizengamot Panel. "I fail to see how that question has anything to do with this so called 'Dark Artifact' Madame Bones, Mr. Malfoy has already undergone a trial for his connection to the Dark Lord and was found to be innocent of all charges."

Amelia, never one to back down from a fight, would never let Cassius Parkinson, who she knew to be a death eater himself, question her motives, "You are of course correct Mr. Parkinson, however, the dark artifact that Mr. Malfoy was attempting to give to Miss Weasley happened to belong to Lord Voldemort while he was a student at Hogwarts. It seems that the muggle hating dark lord was actually a half blood himself, his original name being Tom Marvolo Riddle, he latter made up his Lordship by making his name into an anagram."

Parkinson, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention to his own ties with the Dark Lord, promptly sat down, Amelia asked the question once more to Lucius. "Yes, I joined the death eater organization after my father passed away, I wanted a share in the power and wealth that the Dark Lord had."

Once again gasps could be heard from all locations of the chamber, Amelia knew Lucius's goose was well and truly cooked. Not only did she now have Lucius guaranteed a spot in Azkaban, but any other followers that got off on the 'I was under the imperious' clause would be watching every move they made. Amelia, by getting this conviction, proved that no one was above the law, and that if you let yourself get caught, she was going to prove without a doubt what you promised was truth all those years ago was just that.

By the end of her questioning, Amelia got the sentence she was looking for. Lucius Malfoy would be spending life in prison for his actions against most of Britain's magical youth, and the attempted murder of Ginevra Weasley. He will be brought before the Wizengamot once more in two weeks' time to be charged with his crimes committed as a death eater.

With nothing further to add, and no other trials to proceed with today, Albus Dumbledore closed this session of the Wizengamot, and reminded the panel when they were to meet again.

Sirius Black couldn't believe it, he was a free man, a free man with a godson who he fully expected to gain custody of. Speaking of godson, he couldn't wait to see him, and be introduced to the beautiful women in his life. Sirius was just exiting the chamber when he was pulled quite suddenly into a very strong hug, knowing instantly who was hugging him by his smell.

Remus Lupin had a very particular smell, and Sirius being a dog animagi, could clearly distinguish the coffee, healing balm, and parchment smell that was uniquely Moony. Hugging his brother tight to his chest he could feel the man shaking. "Moony, its alright, I'm fine now, Narcissa of all people made sure I finally got a trial. Oh Moony, there are so many things that have happened to me within the last twenty-four hours, you would never believe half of them!" Sirius said with a chuckle caught in his throat.

"I'm sorry Sirius, I'm sorry I ever believed you to be guilty, I of all people should have questioned Peter's motives. Can you ever forgive me?" Remus basically sobbed into Sirius shoulder.

"Moony, will you stop your blubbering, if you continue to apologize then I'm going to have to apologize for not trusting you all those years ago with the knowledge of who the secret keeper really was, I'm afraid we went one prank too far." Sirius said with a choked sob as he thought about suggesting that Peter should take the position of secret keeper for the Potters.

"Oi, you both should stop blubbering, is that anyway to celebrate being a free man?" Harry said as he walked up behind the still embracing friends. "Hello Mr. Moony, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Harry had his hand held out with a soft mischievous smile on his face. _James always had that same smirk whenever he was pulling off the biggest of big pranks. _Remus and Sirius ironically thought at the same time. "How did you know who I am Harry? I have never been introduced to you before?" Remus asked watching as Harry rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Not here, I will tell you both everything the moment that we are in a secure location. Now come with me, there is someone I want you both to meet." Harry said while backing away from them and heading back down the hallway to a room off to the side. Glancing at each other Sirius let his friend in on his hypothesis. "If I am correct, I do believe that our pup is going to introduce us to his lovely girlfriend and her mother." Sirius said while walking the direction Harry had left in, "I noticed him squished between two lovely ladies in the public gallery when I was on trial. Nodding his head Remus supposed that was as good of a guess as any and followed on behind Sirius, still confused as to how Harry even knew who he was. _He couldn't remember me. Could he?_ Remus thought.

Upon entering the room Remus could see why Sirius would think Hermione was his girlfriend, the moment that they entered he had noticed Harry's hand intertwined with the lovely, bushy haired young witch.

"Gentlemen," Harry started out, "Now that we are somewhere away from the public eye, I would love to introduce my uncles to my lovely wife, Hermione Jane Potter." Harry said with compassion. "And this beautiful lady to my left is my mother in law, Doctor Jean Granger." Smiling at the Marauders shocked expressions Harry in turn introduced them, "Mum, obviously you know who Sirius Black is, but the other gentle man is my uncle Remus John Lupin, affectionately known as Moony."

Reaching out and kissing her hand, Sirius then just stared at his godson, arms akimbo, eyebrow raised. Sighing, Harry took out his wand and raised heavy duty silencing, notice me not, and muffilato charms around the room. Hermione then made sure that the room was free of anyone they didn't wish to be there and locked and sealed the door.

"OKAY, what the bloody hell is going on here, how can you two perform such magic, and how the hell do you know who Remus is, none the less that his name is Moony?" Questioned Sirius, voice cracking as it was still not fully used to speaking quite yet.

"Calm down Padfoot, or you'll hurt your vocal cords. And watch your language." Hermione scolded Sirius.

Completely perplexed Sirius and Remus took the seats that Harry had conjured and decided to listen first then ask questions later.

Harry and Hermione then proceeded to fill in their uncles on everything that had happened. Including the personal message from James. By the end of the story both men had given up the battle against crying long ago, hugging both of the children nee young adults, they accepted the story and promised to do everything they could to help the two. Even if it meant becoming teachers at Hogwarts and dealing with Dumbledore, they really did plan for multiple scenarios.

Remus also had to accept that James and Lily had left him some money in their will, a will that was sealed off and never read. Harry however, knew of the will and insisted upon giving him his rightful inheritance.

Else where a group of men had gotten together to throw an impromptu meeting. They had a lot to discuss, it seemed to some that open hunting season had begun on the old crew, they had to come up with a plan, they also had to discuss the facts that were brought to the table today in the trial of Lucius Malfoy. How could they follow their Lord, when he wasn't one? Not only wasn't he a Lord, but he was a half blood to boot. Although they were okay with half-bloods, they realized that they were lied to by the so called 'Dark Lord', and most being pureblooded themselves, were quite indignant about that.

"Hem, Hem," the gaudy looking witch in a pink cardigan coughed, stopping the conversation the men where having as they stared at the intruder, "Gentlemen, I think I have an idea why you all are having a meeting, and I would like to put forth my idea to help keep you all out of prison, all while getting a little revenge on that brat Potter." Delores Umbridge announced to the group.


	8. Chapter 8 - Phase One Complete

Wow! The amount of response I received today alone shocked me! Thank-you so much for all the kind words and messages of encouragement. I will be rather busy tomorrow, so if I don't get a chance to type up a chapter be assured that another one is coming. I don't plan on having a huge hiatus like some of the authors on here. I promise you that this story will, at the very least, have a completed tag attached to it. Now any plans of writing another story has yet to be seen, I guess I'll have to wait and see how I feel. Chapter 8 is now complete, and I have no idea where I'm headed with Chapter 9. Like always, I only claim the rights to how I twisted the story that J.K. Rowling originally wrote. All content within my tale belongs to her. Thanks again for reading, please leave a review or send me a message if you have any tips or suggestions, or if you simply want to leave a comment on the story. Enjoy!

-Jwall

Chapter 8

Richard Granger had arrived home from work early, as his last client of the day had to cancel and reschedule for later that week. Not wanting Jean to have to come home and cook, Mick decided that they would call for takeout once everyone was home. He hoped that the kids were successful in all of their endeavors today, mentally he knew that they were adults, but in this timeline, they still were kids; kids who were set to leave them on the first. He couldn't believe how attached he had grown to Harry in only three days… _has it really only been three days?_ With their talk taking up most of the night on his first day with them, Richard felt like he knew Harry quite a bit longer than he actually did.

Getting out the brochures of the various take out restaurants, Richard was just getting ready to pour himself a scotch and get started on the evening paper when he heard, rather than saw, his family arrive home. Rambunctious laughter could be heard coming from the garage as Jean walked thru the attached door greeting her husband with a smile. "Good evening dear, your home early? Did the Luebke's cancel again?" Jean asked, it wouldn't be the first time that Cindy Luebke had to reschedule young Jamison's dental cleaning appointment, nor will it most likely be the last.

"Yup, where are the kids?" he asked, knowing they physically where in the garage still, but curious as to what was holding them up. "Oh, they are gathering the bags upon bags of clothes we just purchased for Sirius, Remus and Harry. They were all in desperate need of proper clothes and who better to take them all shopping than me!" Jean said with a smile. "So they sprung Sirius from the pen, and got to meet up with Remus early I see. Good, we could sure use some more help making sure that psycho doesn't come back to life!" Richard said while trying to hold in his excitement of meeting the other half of the Marauders, or he supposed two thirds of them, as the rat had officially been banned from the group. Some of the stories that the portrait of James Potter told him about Sirius made the wizard seem bigger than life.

The group chose that moment to burst in through the attached garage door laughing at something that Harry said, "You should have seen Pads face when his hair turned blue!" Harry finished telling a story from the previous timeline. "Remind me to watch out for these two Moony, they seem even smarter than James when it comes to humiliating me!" Sirius said sharing a laugh with his brother. "Oh! I'm sorry where are my manners, Hello, you must be Mickey, it's a pleasure to meet you sir, I am..." Sirius was about to introduce himself and Remus to Hermione's father when he was cut off mid-sentence. "Just Mick if you don't mind Sirius, Mickey makes me feel like a mouse, and a mouse is far too close to a rat for my liking!" Shaking Sirius hand with a bemused smile on his face, Richard then turned to Remus, "And a pleasure to finally meet you Remus, I'm sorry, but I feel like I already know you both, between all the stories from the kids and some of the tales that James told me about…"

Noticing both the men pale at the use of James name, Richard thought he might know what caused the ghostly complexions, "Oh, I'm so sorry to give you a fright, you must not know, James and Lily had a portrait commissioned that has their memories updated till roughly a week before they passed, they are such a lovely couple to speak with." Looking towards the kids, Richard thought of something, "Guys, why don't you bring these two upstairs so they can see for themselves, I had planned on getting take out so Jean and I will place the order while you lot are upstairs. Do you have any preferences?"

"CHINESE!" Sirius shouted out of excitement, "Sorry! Lily introduced me to the stuff when she was alive, and Azkaban doesn't hand out any gentle chows chicken."

Laughing at his pronunciation of General Tso, Richard filed thru the menus until he found the one for the local Chinese restaurant. "And for you Remus?" Richard asked while placing an 'S' next to the general tso. "Orange Chicken please" Remus said while climbing the stairs following Sirius who was, in turn, following Hermione.

Marking down his selection, Richard picked up the phone and placed the order, three orders of Orange chicken for Remus and the kids, two orders of General Tso for himself and Sirius, and the wanton soup for Jean.

Further away at Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy was also sitting down to supper, having the need to inform her son of his fathers' sentence, Narcissa decided to have Draco's favorite dish; Honey-Orange Salmon with risotto. "Dragon, please take a seat, we have some things to discuss." Narcissa asked her son as he entered the dining hall. Doing as he was told, Draco sat across from his mother, his father's seat at the head of the table still empty without a place setting as he was still held in jail.

Noticing where his eyes had glanced Narcissa started, "I'm afraid Dragon, that your father will not be returning home anytime soon." Watching as her son's gaze went from curious to worried, "He was found guilty of his crimes against the youngest Weasley, and against Wizarding Britain's youth in general. The book that he attempted to slip Miss Weasley could have brought death and destruction to Hogwarts, something that neither him nor myself could have protected you from." Again, Narcissa watched her son's expressions, waiting for the temper that he inherited from Lucius to make itself known. "Personally, I believe he got what he deserved, I know you looked up to your father son, but he was not a good man. He has helped bring terror and discord to the wizarding nation and had no sense of loyalty to neither you nor me. He would have traded us both in if it meant getting closer to the Dark Lord."

Draco understood the words his mother was saying, there were plenty of times when he was getting whipped for failing to beat Granger in class, or when Draco whined about being betrothed to Pansy. His father demanded that children should be seen but not heard, he never felt any love from his father, only forced respect.

Now his mother was the complete opposite, she would always allow him to speak what was on his mind, she might not agree with some of the things he said, but she never forced him into her way of thinking. She taught him about his heritage thru the Blacks, and how children were revered as 'gifts'. She would always make sure to heal the wounds from the blows he received from his father's belt or provide a potion for when he performed the cruciatus curse on him. Yes, Draco loved and fully respected his mother, she was smart and cunning, the prime example of a Slytherin, he had no problem believing his father killing him off to please the Dark Lord.

"What does this mean for us Mother? Are we going to be okay?" Draco asked, a little selfishly worried about his possession and his lifestyle.

"Given the terms of my marriage contract, I have the right to ask my head of house for my marriage to be dissolved, as your father is no longer able to provide myself and any heir's the lifestyle we are used to." stopping to see if Draco would react poorly to this, Narcissa paused. Draco however, agreed with her and nodded for her to continue, "Your great-grandpa Pollux, who was head of the family when I was married, made sure that the contracts were written just so, they all had an 'out' clause just in case; the Blacks were very careful not to allow 'shameful behavior' to tarnish the family name. I will not be allowed to marry again, but given the fact that I have you to carry on my name, if you so choose to, I will be allowed to disassociate myself from the Malfoy name, effectively ending their line." At this Draco was taken aback, it was true that his father and even grandfather did nothing to help the name of Malfoy, but he didn't want the name to die out.

Seeing her sons worry Narcissa informed him of the other option. "I don't want to see that any more than you do son, I know your father and grandfather were practically useless, but that doesn't mean that we can't bring honor to the Malfoy name once again. My second option would be to dissolve my marriage and have you take the mantle of the Malfoy line, as the Malfoys are a purely patriarchal family, this would be the only way to continue the line. With this comes a lot of work, it also comes with a great deal of responsibility. I would warn you however, if you chose this path and you make any attempt to rule over me or anyone of my family, the Head of the Black family can, and most likely will, take action against you." Shocked that his mother would even think that he would harm her, Draco asked why she felt the need to say such things.

"Because Draco, the current head of the Black family is Sirius Black, godfather to Harry Potter, who, just today, has named Harry as his heir." Gulping Draco now understood the warning, it was more about Potter than it was about his mother, she just chose to show him in her own distinct style, that the consequences of his actions would be held to a higher standard, least he lose the one person who truly loved him.

This proved to be a smart move, Draco saw the way his actions played out last year, no one in Slytherin house really spoke with him, well except for pig-nosed Pansy and the two book ends his father insisted he hang out with. But could he really change? Was it possible to make amends after making himself to look like his fathers' clone? _If mom can do it, then so can I. I am a descendant of the Black family after all, and Blacks always back Blacks; and it looks like Harry Potter is now a Black, that makes him family. _Yes, Draco Malfoy will remain, he thought, he just hoped that he will make both sides of his family proud of him.

Deloris Umbridge's plan was simple, she wanted to be Minister of Magic, with that position came the power to push through the reforms she wanted to come to life. Tighter regulations on blood purity, hunting parties on miscreants like werewolves, vampires and the like, and most importantly, payback on the nasty muggle-born witches and wizards that made the mistake of making fun of her. They would all pay, every single one of them. Deloris had plans of a Muggle-Born Registration Commission where she could prosecute every single one of the wanna be witches and wizards.

And she was SO close to that coveted spot too, she was now the Senior Undersecretary to the Minster of Magic, _and lets face it that imbecile doesn't have very long before he is voted out of office, _she thought, _that's if I have anything to do about it. _Deloris only had to figure out a way to make him drop in popularity to the wizarding public, and then frame him for something to get him out of the way. That's where the 'non' death eaters come in handy, all she had to promise them was inside information on anyone who was under investigation, and any other useful tidbits she could obtain from her current position, they ate up her offer like a starving kid eating cake.

Hearing the doorbell caused, what sounded like a stamped coming from the direction of the stairs, Sirius leading the race. Jean couldn't believe the turnaround in Sirius, comparing him from the trial to now, it was like he was a different person. Sure, the clean clothes, and the spark of life that was back in his eye, went along way to improve his appearance; but it was the smile, Jean thought, that really made him look completely different.

"So Sirius, what is on your agenda now that you are a free man? Do you even have a place to stay?" Richard asked while he was filling his plate out of the little containers. Sirius, who was already digging into his right from the carton replied, "Well, I want to get a few things in order at the bank, today's visit was just to declare myself as head of the Black family and to make sure Harry was listed as my heir. I also promised my cousin Narcissa that we could sit down and discuss some things, as I have apparently been wrong about her for many years. And then my whole life will be dedicated to helping my god children" he said this while looking over at Harry and Hermione. Hermione had instantly become his kid when Harry introduced her to him as his wife, from that moment on she became is pseudo god daughter.

"That's all fine and dandy Sirius, but nowhere in there did you mention you had a place to stay? And please, before you start, you are not to return to your ancestral home before you get someone in there to cleanse and clean it." Richard stated a bit forcefully. He would not have Sirius put himself in danger, for some reason he felt like Sirius was already a brother to him, they both loved and accepted the kids almost instantly when they informed them of their marriage, and he found he enjoyed his company, lack of manners at the present time and all.

Sirius understood that Mick knew more about him than most, which was strange because they physically just met, but he already decided he like the stately dentist. He confirmed that he did not have a place to stay currently and was hoping to convince Remus to move in with him, lord knows the poor man must have been living among the scum of society because of his condition. Nothing really prepared either man for the offer that they were about to receive.

"Well that settles it then, you will move in with us until a time when number twelve is deemed fit for living." Richard said while looking to his wife to make sure he didn't misjudge the situation. He need not worry though, Jean's beaming smile told him that he got this right. "We have a little self-contained two bedroom flat out back that we use as an in-law suite for when Jean or mines parents come to visit. We would like to extend the offer for you to use it until you get your affairs in order. We can show you around after we are done eating." Richard said just before he took a big bite of his general tso.

Sirius was overwhelmed, it felt like being accepted by the Potters all over again, how could he be so lucky to have found two such loving couples that would take a bum like him in he would never know, what he did know is that he had no intention of turning Mick's offer down, only one thing was holding him back. Glancing at Remus it didn't take long to see that he was uncomfortable with the situation, this prompted Sirius into explaining what might be considered a problem to some, "I would love to stay with you both, and I really appreciate the offer, I just want you to be made aware of all the facts before we accept your offer." Sirius began only to be cut off.

"If you are about to inform us of Mr. Moony's furry little problem, we can save you the lecture. We are well aware of what happens to him one night every month, just as we also know that he takes precautions to be as safe as possible during that time. So long as you both have no problem hanging around with a couple dentists, we would love to have you." Jean informed the two wizards.

Remus had never felt as welcomed anywhere as he did here. Okay maybe at the Potters residence, but other than that, everyone else seemed to be skeptical of his 'furry little problem' as the Grangers, who most likely stole from Lily, termed his condition. Seeing the acceptance in his eyes, Sirius accepted their generous offer.

The following day found Sirius once again at Gringotts, still not fully trusting Cissy, Sirius felt that this would be a safe, neutral, meeting place. He also had planned to meet several other members of his family later that day, and decided that if he was already out, why not just hold them all in the same place.

Feeling good in his tailored suit and robe, Sirius was reviewing some financial paperwork when Narcissa walked in. Standing up to greet her, Sirius thanked her for meeting him. "Thank-you for coming today Cissy, I hope you know the reason I chose this setting. I need to make sure that I can trust you again, and until I feel that I can, I will not jeopardize Harry and Hermione." Narcissa, who had already figured this out, didn't blame Sirius for the precaution.

"No worries dear cousin, I am well aware that I haven't proved my worth to you. We have a lot of history sitting between us, and I have no problem with you taking precautions. I hope that one day you will trust me enough be help you. I already know a little bit where Harry and Hermione are concerned, however I am under an unbreakable vow to them, so if you have any questions on that matter, I ask that you inquire about it with them." Sirius was told the background of why they entrusted his cousin with the bare bones' information needed to get him out of Azkaban, the truth of the matter was he still didn't believe that she did that. Knowing that they had several hours before the other members of the Black family would arrive, Sirius attempted to get the answer to the question he had asked at the ministry. "Well then Narcissa, I thank you for the assistance you provided to my children. I would, however, like the answer to the question I put forth in my holding cell; Why now?"

Sighing, Narcissa proceeded to tell Sirius all about her life, starting from the last moment they spoke up until today. She left nothing out, all of Lucius' shady deals, his abuse of her for refusing to join the death eaters, her need to protect Draco, what Draco and herself decided last evening, and everything in between. She let it all fall off her chest, he was the head of her family after all, he could use the family magic on her if he wanted, and she wouldn't blame him. She even offered to repeat everything under truth serum.

What Narcissa didn't know was that Sirius had already had that covered, there was a goblin version of the truth serum in her tea. It was less potent than what the witches and wizards used in a trial and didn't have the side effect of being lethal if over dosed. Sirius knew every word coming out of Narcissa's mouth was true, and he was shocked at everything she went through.

"Why wasn't your marriage dissolved when Lucius allowed you to be tortured by Voldemort?" Sirius asked with anger in his voice, "he completely violated your contract at that point, placing a pregnant lady under the cruciatus curse is not only torture to the mother, but torture to the child as well, not to mention the line theft it would have caused if you lost the baby, considering it left you barren."

"By the time that had happened, your mother convinced her father that I deserved it for disobeying my husband." Narcissa said with pure hatred in her voice, it wasn't often that she let her façade crumble. Sirius had heard enough, in some ways Narcissa's life was a hundred times worse than his ever was, it was at this point when he stood up from the table and proceeded to hug his cousin, she had convinced him, he was slowly getting his family back.

Sirius thought it would be funny to surprise Andi, which is how Narcissa found herself sitting in a plush waiting area for her cue to enter the meeting. She had to admit to herself that she was excited to be reunited with her baby sister, she always loved Andi best and had truly missed her over the years.

The Tonks family was seated in a nice meeting room, although instead of tables and hardbacked chairs there were couches and comfy armchairs. Nymphadora 'don't call me that' Tonks was seated between her parents. She barely remembered Sirius from when she was little, but given everything she read and was told, she just knew she would love him. Ted Tonks on the other hand was nervous, he loved his wife, and knew that she sacrificed a lot to be with him, they were never well off, but were comfortably happy. Having Sirius free meant that things could quite possibly change, not that it was a bad thing, but Ted was not used to all the politics that came with a titled pureblood family. Noticing this, his wife leaned over, just follow my lead love, Sirius isn't like the rest of them, he too was disowned from the family, it was by pure dumb luck that my wicked Aunt Walburga didn't file the proper paperwork, that makes him head.

Thinking that things still seem to be quite fancy, Ted remained nervous. It was into this mixed atmosphere that Sirius made his entrance, breezing into the room with a gigantic smile on his face, Harry had told him of the youngest Tonk's hatred of her first name, and thought it would be a wonderful prank to use that knowledge against her. "NYMPHADORA! My word have you grown! And Andi, beautiful as always! Hello Ted, wipe that look off your face, I promise you I won't be the stuffy pureblood like the family you stole Andi from." Everyone looked at him in shock, well everyone except the youngest who proceeded to say, "DON'T call me Nymphadora, some people shouldn't be allowed to name children! Call me Tonks!"

"Now, now… Nymphadora is a beautiful name, just be glad you weren't named after a star!" Sirius said with a chuckle. "Better a star than the Saint who's known as a Virgin martyr." Tonks said with disdain in her voice. That was the final straw for Sirius, he fell from the chair, grasping his stomach as he had tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard.

Composing himself after a lengthy time on the floor, Sirius thought it was time to give Andi her surprise. "Okay my dears… and Ted, lets get down to the reason that I've brought you lot in here today, firstly being the head of the house of Black, I have reinstated Andi back into the family, so welcome back," wiping her eyes at Sirius words, Andi thanked him warmly, he then continued, "Secondly, I'm sorry Andi but your sister Bellatrix will be cast from the family as she will never change, she was just as psychotic in her childhood as she was in her adult life. Thirdly I have dissolved the marriage of Narcissa Malfoy and have brought her back into the Black family," while saying this Sirius heard the gasp from Andi, which was nothing in comparison to the scream that ripped from her throat as Cissy walked thru the doors. Narcissa prepared herself for impact as she noticed Andi had no intentions of slowing down. Slamming into her sister Andi proceeded to loudly sob into Narcissa's shoulder, Ted, feeling happy for his wife that she got her long lost family back thought to himself, _Follow her lead my arse, I think I will be just fine staying seated in this instance._

Having calmed down substantially, the sisters took a seat together on a couch, Andi introducing her daughter, much to her distain for using her full name, to her sister. Together Sirius and Cissy informed Andi and her family of Draco's decision, and what they could expect to happen within the next few years now having the Blacks back together. Sirius finished up the meeting with his fourth and final reason for the meeting to begin with, "Now I know the Black motto has always been Toujours Pur, but as the head of the family, I don't believe in the ideals of pureblood supremacy. So because of this, I felt that a change of motto would be a good way to reclaim the name of Black. I didn't change it yet as I wanted your opinion on the new motto, I propose that we change from Toujours Pur to Toujours Pur de Coeur." It was now Sirius's turn to be nervous, as he thought the change was brilliant, but what would the Black ladies think of it?

"Always pure of heart?" Tonks asked, Sirius nodded, "Exactly right Dora, I think that its meaning is something I can stand behind, not just 'always pure', I want to make sure that our family has a pure heart."

"I think it's brilliant, and I will tolerate the name Dora, Merlin knows its better than Nymph or Nymphie like some wanted to call me in school… SIRIUS NO!" but it was too late, Sirius was already laughing, Tonks could see that this was going to take some strong arming in order for him to forget those nicknames. _WHY OH WHY DID I EVEN BRING THEM UP?!_ She thought sourly.

Sirius invited, per the kids request or rather demand, Dora to dinner. He wasn't to sure, but he felt that there was something that the two of them weren't telling him. Whatever the reason is, however, he would never second guess it, they obviously have knowledge of the future that he was not privileged to.

Harry was currently talking with his parents in the guest room while Hermione was helping Remus unpack his things both new and old in his new bedroom. "Do you guys think he'll be upset at us trying to set Remus up with Tonks?" Harry asked them, "They didn't get together until after he passed away in the last timeline." Harry was attempting to still have his godson in his life, he didn't even care if Remus chose Sirius as the godfather, just so long as Teddy still had a chance to live.

"Sirius would never want Remus to be alone, if what you say is true, and Moony and Tonks are destined to be together than he would have no problem welcoming Remus officially into the family. I mean he's a brother in all but blood the way it is." James advised his son. "Just don't get your hopes up son, they may in fact have a child, but with everything you have changed so far who's to say that they have a boy this go around. Either way you would have done everything you possibly could to make that happen, as long as everyone is happy you should consider it a job well done." Lily said, desperate to hold her son but knowing that she couldn't.

"Thank you, guys, I'm so happy that I get to run things by you, I know you can't physically be here, but this truly is the next best thing." Harry said and he meant it, he might not be able to hug them or run away as his dad ruffled his hair, but he could still talk with and get to know his parents.

Sirius appeared in the living room of his new flat with Tonks at his side, "Nice place" Tonks stated while Sirius yelled out to see if anyone was home. "I think so," he said walking towards one of the bedrooms that he heard Remus yell out from. Following closely behind him Tonks stopped in her tracks at the sight of the scars running down the back of the man who she presumed to be Remus. Being an auror she knew exactly what those scars meant, Sirius's best mate must be Remus Lupin, a known werewolf who was turned at a young age, he was the only registered werewolf who has never had a known incident, even when he was younger he was able to control the wolf's tendency to want to maim and kill. Turning around she noticed him blush a deep crimson red, all down his neck and a good part of his chest flushed the deep red color. Not that her eyes lingered that long on his chest, no they were captured by his beautiful soulful eyes, they were a soft, light green with what seemed to be flecks of gold.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize Sirius had company with him or I promise you I would have put a shirt on" reaching out his hand after doing just that, Remus introduced himself to the pretty lady with bright pink hair that just seemed to turn purple? "Remus Lupin, how do you do ma'am." Remus asked while watching her pink/purple hair now rapidly changing between a multitude of different colors. Raising an eyebrow, he just had to ask, "I'm going to take a wild guess here Miss Tonks and say that you are a metamorphamagus."

Still unable to speak properly, Tonks just nodded her head. Remus just smiled, he understood what it was like to be shy, even though he was way off the mark, Remus just never assumed that anyone would be attracted to him, why would they with all his scars?

Sirius just stood off to the side as he watched his cousin interact with his best friend. _Those little rascals, they knew this would happen! Why didn't they tell me? Did they think I would be upset? Did they think I would ruin things? No that couldn't be it, I'm as smooth as silk when setting people up… they must have thought I would be mad._ Sirius wasn't mad by any means, in fact he was super happy, if these two got together Remus would officially be family, not that he wasn't already considered family to Sirius, this would just be documented proof that he was. Glancing around the room he noticed that Hermione wasn't in here, wanting to give the two some time to get to know one another, if that was what this whole demanding he bring her with was all about, Sirius asked about her whereabouts, "She's currently in your room putting your stuff away." Remus said with a smirk. "WHAT!" Sirius yelled, not in anger, but in shock as he marched out of the room and across the hall, "What in Merlins name is that?!" Sirius questioned stopping dead in his tracks and pointed at the throw pillows on his bed. Giggling at his outlandish display of childishness, Hermione replied to his outrage, "Those are throw pillows Sirius, honestly, I know you spent a long time in that hell hole, but I would have figured you would know what throw pillows are." Hermione said this while she was hanging up the last of the dress shirts Sirius had bought in a muggle department store.

"I know exactly what throw pillows are Hermione, thank-you very much, but why, may I ask, are they on my bed? They are practically useless after all, its not like you can sleep on them with all those tassels and knobby things all over them." Sirius said with his arms crossed. Hermione rolling her eyes told him that they were there before he got there and that her Grandmother loved them. With a wave of her wand, Hermione shrunk four out of the six pillows and transfigured the other two into big fluffy ones that Sirius approved of. "Thanks," Sirius said while pushing on the newly transfigured pillows, "You didn't have to put away my clothes, I would have gotten around to it." Shaking her head, Hermione had no doubt that he would have, in several weeks … when he needed to wash them.

Trying to pull his attention away from the bed, the flowery linen that was sure to be his next bone of contention, Hermione asked "Did you speak with Cissy about Dobby?" Trying hard not to think about what she asked him to do, so as Harry didn't hear her thoughts, was hard, Sirius said that occlumency would help them hide their private, innermost thoughts and not broadcast everything that popped into their heads. He gave them a brief overview of it last night and she made a mental note to read up on it first chance she got at Hogwarts.

"Yes, she agreed to releasing him from the Malfoy family, however she wanted me to tell you that she never mistreated the elves her prat of a husband however did, and that Lucius was a terror to Dobby in particular, she wasn't sure why. She likes Dobby, but knows you would treat him well." Although she wasn't happy with enslaving an elf, she was long removed from her S.P.E.W days, after the war she had sat down with the elves of Hogwarts one day and asked them a whole bunch of questions. The bottom line was they loved to work and didn't think of themselves as slaves. They draw their magic from their owners and in return love to work for them. It was an eye opener to say the least.

"Thank-you Sirius." Hermione then called for the little elf in question, "Dobby!" A loud crack could be heard as Dobby appeared, already in a low bow, "New mistress calls for Dobby, what may I do for you Missus?" Dobby said remaining in the bow, his long nose almost touching the ground. "Good evening Dobby, I would like to set a few expectations of you as the Potter's personal elf." She started to say, that was until Dobby let out a wail, "Missus wants Dobby to be her and master's personal elf? Dobby is not worthy missus; you must prefer some other elf with better qualifications." Hermione had gotten used to this from the last timeline, it was a telltale sign of Lucius' abuse. "No Dobby, I am quite sure that Harry and I would prefer you to be our personal elf and friend. Now first things first," Hermione didn't give the elf time to argue, "I would like for you to take this money and buy yourself a uniform. I don't care what the uniform looks like, but I would like for you to be presentable. The second thing I would like for you to do is to call me Hermione, I have no want to be called mistress. Same thing goes for Harry, first names will be just fine, unless the situation calls for it, in which case I ask you to use your best judgement. Do you think you can handle being the only elf for both of us?" Hermione questioned after she listed off the 'rules' to him. "Oh yes missus Mione, Dobby can work just fine for both of youse." Dobby declared. Hermione sighed; _it_ _looks like some things will never change._ The only person she ever really allowed to call her Mione was Harry, but she owed her life to this elf and she would be damned if she would be angry at him for shortening her name. "Okay Dobby, before you go off to get your uniform, I would like for you to bring something over to Harry for me, if you could just wait a moment while I write the note out." Hermione didn't know if it was Sirius' prankster ways rubbing off on her, or if she just couldn't help surprising her husband for once, Hermione wrote a simple 'I love you' on a piece of parchment and sent Dobby off to Harry. Not before letting him know she would be sending him a gift soon via their link however.

_'Harry my love, I am sending a surprise over to you, stand by for arrival.'_ Harry heard in his head just before a loud crack sounded making his mother in law scream. "Dobby has message for the greatest master Harry Potter sir from missus Mione." Dobby said proudly while holding out the note. Taking the note and reading Hermione's 'I love you' made Harry laugh, he figured out rather quickly that Dobby was meant to be his present. _'You got the Malfoy's to hand him over to us, didn't you?' _Harry asked over the link. All she replied with was a simple, '_yup'_. Harry laughed as he introduced Dobby to his in-laws, "Mick… Jean… I would like to introduce you to your newest favorite elf in the whole world. This is Dobby, and he's a house elf." Harry said smiling as the two Grangers waved at the strange little creature. "Dobby loves to help out around the house, so don't be surprised if you find your cabinets reorganized in a more strategic order, or finding your tea made perfectly the way you like it, waiting for you when you walk into the kitchen in the morning. He's an excellent cook and is super helpful when attempting to get from point A to point B in a hurry." Jean was listening as Harry described what Dobby loved to do, she couldn't help but feel excited to have some help in the Kitchen, she wondered what the little elf could all cook?

Dobby popped away, stating that missus Mione had a few things for him to do before he would be back to clean the house. Harry laughed at Jeans horrified expression and decided to cut her a little slack, "Don't take what Dobby says as an insult mum, your house is very tidy, you will however most likely notice a difference when Dobby cleans, as he can use magic to make things look like new again. Don't worry, I promise you this is what he loves to do. If you don't believe me ask your daughter, she had a heart to heart with the elves of Hogwarts when she tried to free them in a few years' time." Harry remembered the event like it was yesterday, Hermione knitting little hats, creating her own version of chaos in Gryffindor tower. Thank Merlin she had that heart to heart with the elves after the war, he didn't think he would survive going through the whole S.P.E.W phase again.

Back at Malfoy Manor, Draco was finishing up his packing, excited to start a new year at Hogwarts tomorrow, being the new and improved Draco Malfoy. This year he wouldn't dread coming home for the holidays, afraid of getting whipped or cursed, he could simply enjoy his time off. On top of that he looked forward to making new friends and breaking away from Pansy and the useless book ends. Now that his father wasn't around, Draco found a lot more options available to him that he didn't have before hand. Who knows, maybe he would even befriend Potter and the gang, although the thought of being friends with Ronald Weasley still made him want to vomit. Potter and Granger were at least respectful and honorable, Weasley only cared about two things himself and his food. Draco had made a conscious decision early on to sit with his back facing the Gryffindor table, just for the simple fact that he wouldn't have to watch Weasley shovel the food into his mouth and talk quidditch at the same time.

Narcissa had arrived just before supper was to begin and informed Draco that they would be having guests for dinner, Draco stood from his place at the table, walked from the dining room to the main reception hall, and stood by the floo to welcome the guests into their home. Seeing the fireplace light up green, Draco held out a hand to help Andi thru the grate, followed shortly by her daughter Dora, and then shaking Teds hand. He introduced himself and welcomed them to Malfoy Manor while he escorted them into the dining room. "Cissy, young Draco here is the epidemy of hospitality, you did a fine job raising him." Andi praised both of them at the same time.

The evening was pleasant as the sisters got to know one another again, Draco was kept entertained by the stories his aunt could tell of his mum during her school days, he couldn't believe some of the things she said, he just couldn't see his mum flying on a broom, maybe that's where he got his love of flying from? And his cousin with her ability to change into whoever she pleased, she did a fair job of impersonating McGonagall, so much so that Draco physically shivered at her glare. Overall Draco assessed the situation he currently found himself in, he was enjoying a nice meal and found that he was being active in the conversation, not only that but his opinion was asked on several occasions; he would never have been allowed to speak if his father were still around, not to mention his aunt, who was quickly becoming his favorite, would never have been allowed to step foot in this house never mind her husband or his cousin. Yes, Draco thought, I think I'm going to love this new lifestyle.

And so, for the first time in a long time, Draco Malfoy, went to bed happy, and excited for his trip to Hogwarts the following day.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Express

I'm back! Sorry for going MIA the last two days, I had an MRI and some other medical cud to deal with, but I'm back and I'm hoping to continue my chapter a day or at minimum every other day. It really depends on my medical schedule, and how I'm feeling. Once I start back at work the chapters are bound to slow down, and I have soo much more of this story to tell! I never expected to have a multi chapter story as my first ever attempt at writing, but I can't say that I'm not enjoying it. Thank-you all so much for the suggestions, I hope I worked on a couple of them that were messaged to me. Please review or message me to let me know how you like the story or if you have any suggestions to help me improve! As always the characters and basis for the story belong to J.K. Rowling, I just twist the story to my liking. I'll see you all in chapter 10! *YAY!*

-Jwall

Chapter 9.

Platform 9 ¾ was barely full when the Potters arrived, Harry wasn't used to not being almost late to catch the train. Sirius helped Harry load up the trunks and Hedwig's cage into their chosen seats, reminiscing about the time spent in this very compartment himself. He had made mention to Harry that the Marauders always got here early so that they may acquire this specific spot. They weren't all the way to the back, but not quite the middle of the train, their placement was, most of the time anyway, the key to their pranking success.

Not that the kids would be doing much pranking. After acquiring the compartment, the group moved back out onto the platform, waiting for the next phase in their plan. So far everything was falling pretty close to what they had expected, there were a few outliers that landed in their favor, however. Narcissa once again becoming a Black was a huge change from the past, so huge that they didn't even have a plan in place to deal with it.

Bigger still was the fact that Draco Malfoy, the ferret himself, completely changed his path in life, the change in him still creeped Harry and Hermione out. Harry shook his head, thinking back to that morning. _Well at least he didn't steer us wrong on breakfast._

_** Flashback **_

"Good morning cousin," Narcissa said in greeting.

Sirius was just getting the kids through the doorway of his favorite breakfast spot in London when he heard the greeting, looking up, the smile on his face faded a little bit in worry for his kids. They had discussed Draco's plan, but everyone was at a wait and see decision currently.

"Good Morning Cissy…. Draco, what a surprise seeing you both." Sirius stated, because it was true, he had forgotten that this restaurant was a popular spot for his family and several other old wizarding families.

"Hello Harry… Hermione, I'm sorry if this makes things feel uncomfortable," Narcissa stated while glancing between her son and the Potters. "We can take our breakfast to go and eat in the park if you aren't ready for this yet?" She offered politely.

"No, that's okay. We would be seeing each other at the platform and at school anyway, what's the difference in a few hours." Hermione said with a forced smile.

"Yeah, it's probably better to clear the air here, in a less public spot… for students anyway." Harry added while looking around the restaurant. "Besides, I'm sure Draco knows what's good to eat here." He tacked on, extending the olive branch so to speak.

Draco, hoping to prove to his former enemy that he has changed, offered his suggestion. "The bagel and cream cheese are good; they have multiple flavors of both bagel and cream cheese." He offered, knowing that Granger often had toast for breakfast, something he had learned last year when he had intended to prank her by messing with her food. Potter on the other hand was a heavy eater so he made a different suggestion,

"Potter, you might like the traditional platter, it's a full English that, dare I say it, almost rivals the elves at Hogwarts cooking." Draco joked, hoping to break the ice to release a bit of the tension.

Laughing at the face Malfoy pulled when comparing the breakfasts, Harry ordered what was recommended, so too did Hermione. _'Strange, isn't it,' _thought Hermione. _'That he knows what we would prefer… do you think we should ask him?'_

Harry was curious as well, but figured it was most likely for some schoolboy prank that never came to fruition. Hearing his reply in her head Hermione agreed, as that was something the old Malfoy would most likely do, this new version of him though, she still wasn't sure on.

Sitting down to eat, the Potters couldn't help but decide that Draco was right, the food choices were superb, they even had a small conversation with him while they were waiting for the food to be delivered. They talked about small, neutral topics, they were surprised to find that Draco had very few friends, they always thought that he was Mr. Popular in Slytherin house, I guess outward appearance isn't everything.

Hermione tuned them out after they started talking about quidditch and joined the conversation with Sirius and Narcissa about ways to better the family name and different charity events that Narcissa was running.

** End of Flashback **

"Harry! Hermione!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them, Harry had turned around just in time to catch Trevor, Neville Longbottom's toad, as Neville himself had tripped. _I almost forgot how clumsy Neville was, I wonder what changed to make him the tall, confident, snake slayer of the future? _Harry wondered while handing Trevor back to his owner.

_'Friends' _Hermione's voice said in his head, _'Neville became more confident because he had friends to back him up, and the DA.' _Hermione tacked on.

"Hey Nev, how were your summer holidays?" Harry asked.

"They were fantastic Harry, thanks for asking, I spent a lot of time in my greenhouses, I got a really rare plant for my birthday this year and I was able to successfully use a cutting from it and propagate it into another pot, if things go well I should be able to have several more plants of the same type by the end of the Christmas Holidays!" Neville said very excited by this possibility.

It seemed that only Hermione understood what Neville was talking about, as such, she continued the conversation with the rather shy boy while Harry started up a conversation with Sirius. Slowly the platform started to fill up, and Sirius had to leave to get to the bank to finish up on some legal paperwork with Narcissa. Hermione, enjoying her conversation with Neville, now talking about the Herbology assignment, _thankfully I did my homework right away this year and we were able to review to help us remember where we are at, _so she invited him to sit with them in their compartment as Harry helped him with his trunk and Trevor's cage.

The Weasley's were the last to arrive on the platform per usual, Ron, not knowing how they felt about him, joined them in the compartment and took a seat next to Harry. "Hey Guys, I heard you had a pretty busy week, thanks for the whole rat thing by the way, bloody creepy knowing that I had a full-grown man sleeping in bed with me. Gives me the willies every time I think about it. Mom and Dad offered to buy me another pet, like a toad or something, but I turned them down. Toads are lame," Ron paused looking towards Neville, "no offence mate."

Neville just laughed, "None taken Ron, I didn't really want a toad, but Gran said it was the safest option." Neville blushed as he said this, but no one said anything about it.

"As I was saying they offered, but I think I would rather not have a pet, I kept losing the thing anyway." Ron finished up.

Hermione had come along way since her know it all days, so she let it go, she didn't need to inform Ron that he most likely didn't 'lose' the rat, more so that the rat left him to become Peter somewhere else. Instead she simply said, "Good call Ron, I think you would prefer something like an owl anyway, maybe you could save up for one?" Knowing that he loved Pigwidgeon in the future.

Nodding, Ron thought that would be a brilliant idea and made a mental note to start saving up his allowance, if he couldn't afford the full price maybe he could go in with his parents, as Errol was getting quite old now a days. He let his friends know as much. They all agreed that would be a fantastic suggestion.

_'Are we sure this is the same Ron?' _Harry asked over their bond while looking at Hermione.

_'Right? It's almost like something we did kicked him out of that selfish phase, I mean he even apologized to Neville!' _Hermione thought back to Harry. _'Still, I don't trust him, I don't fully hate him like I do the future Ron, but I don't trust him not to turn into that guy.'_

_'Let's just wait and see love, who knows, he might surprise us. One thing is for sure though, we will have to tell him and Neville about us before we reach Hogwarts, being married will see us in our own quarters.' _Harry said while grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers.

Ron didn't notice the change in his two best friends, but Neville did. "Hey guys, if you don't mind me asking," Neville said while looking at their conjoined hands," but are you two dating now?"

Ron, finally looking up from his chocolate frog cards, noticed their conjoined hands. "Oi! When did this happen?" he asked with a little tint of anger in his voice.

Harry didn't want to make a scene, but things had to come to a head at some point. "Well, to answer your question Neville, we are … umm … a bit more than dating, we actually discovered that we share a bond that would consider us married in the wizarding world."

"It was a complete shock to us when we found out, but I can't say that we aren't happy about it, we have both been feeling more attached to each other since last year." Hermione added so that Ron didn't get a chance to feel like he staked any claim on her.

"And you guys decided not to tell me about this?" Ron said a little anger in his voice, "I could have invited Hermione over to the burrow while you were there, I kind of feel like a right prat now!" Ron said while standing up, "I'm going to go check on Ginny, is it okay if I pass the news onto her? She has a slight crush on Harry, and I would like to break the news to her early, so she doesn't find out in a public setting." He asked politely.

_'Okay, is this really Ronald? Is he actually thinking of others? Should we test for Polyjuice potion?' _Hermione asked with a shocked expression on her face as she looked at Harry.

Not wanting to leave Ron hanging Harry answered him before his wife, "Sure mate, and don't worry about it, we really didn't even know until she kissed me, and we were lit up in a sort of golden light. Go find Ginny, if she's lonely you can bring her back here." Harry suggested the last part as he knew she really didn't have many friends except Luna at this time.

Ron nodded as thanked them when as he exited the compartment. _'I'm completely shocked, he didn't get mad about us, he got mad because he kept us apart. Is this the same Ronald Weasley we are dealing with? He's even using manners?' _Hermione asked again to Harry over their bond.

_'It's very possible that coming back and announcing we are married changed the way he see's things, I don't think he even realized you were a girl until year four last time, none the less fancied you. Maybe we really can eat our cake and have it too? _Harry said back.

"So, did you two enjoy your summer holiday?" questioned Neville as he realized rather late that they asked him earlier, but he never asked back.

"Well, I would have to say the last week was the best part by far, getting to meet Sirius, and find out I essentially have a family. It was a blast!" Harry explained while trying to sound more like a second-year student than an eighteen-year-old who's lived this time already.

"You always had a family Harry, I was a little nervous to tell you, but we are family." Neville said while looking down at his feet. "My mum is your godmother, as yours was mine."

_'Why didn't they tell me? Dad made a point to tell us to get closer to Neville I just never realized to ask why.' _Harry said to Hermione.

_'Maybe he didn't tell you for exactly this reason, your shock is genuine. Neville would have questions if you just accepted it without some sort of surprise.' _Hermione answered, then paused thinking about it, _'or he just wanted to prank you.'_ This said with a giggle.

Smiling Harry answered Neville, "That's brilliant! Why feel nervous about it, I'm ecstatic to have you as a god-brother Nev!" To emphasize this Harry got up and gave Neville a hug and pat on the back.

"I didn't think you would want me, to be honest. Who would want a bumbling, nervous, goofy looking guy like me?" Neville said while hanging his head and staring at the ground.

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!" Hermione scolded instantaneously, "How could you ever think we wouldn't want to be your family, yes you were nervous, but guess what, everyone was! Even Ron, who has had several brothers go thru Hogwarts was nervous thinking that the way they sort into houses involved wrestling a troll!" Hermione was all but huffing by the time her tirade was finished.

Blushing Neville accepted Hermione's scolding, and sounding very childlike as he looked her straight in the eye and said sorry. Hermione, feeling a little bad for yelling at him, got up and gave Neville a tight hug, then quietly whispered, "Stop doubting yourself Neville, you have friends that love and want you around, you are an amazing, loyal friend. I wouldn't trade you for anything!"

Harry could see the tears start to form in Neville's eyes, but before he could say or do anything the compartment door opened. Harry looked to the doorway completely expecting to see Ron with Ginny, but instead saw Draco Malfoy, alone.

"Malfoy, what can we do for you?" Harry asked curiously, watching as Neville tensed up.

"Sorry for the interruption Potter, my mother wanted me to give these to you, Sirius seemed to have forgotten to give you two some last-minute presents." Draco stated while handing over two small identical brown paper wrapped packages.

"Gee, thanks Malfoy" Harry said while accepting the two packages.

Nodding Draco departed with a "See you at school."

"Well that was weird." Neville said with a scrunched-up face, "When did you two start being friendly?"

"We saw him this morning at a local restaurant that Sirius took us to for breakfast," Harry said while handing Hermione the package with her name, "He apologized to us for his behavior last year, made a couple suggestions on what we might like to eat, and then we talked quidditch; much to Hermione's displeasure." He said while laughing.

"He did say he wanted to change the way people saw him now that he is head of the Malfoy's and his mom once more became a Black." Hermione thought out loud, "He also said that he considers Harry family now, being that Harry is heir to the Black family."

"Wow, head of one ancient family and heir to another even more ancient family. I'm not even looking forward to taking up the mantle of my family," Neville let slip then caught himself, "at least while my dad is still 'alive'." He said with a frown.

_'Sometimes I think Neville got the worse end of the stick.' _Harry thought over to Hermione.

Hermione just nodded while trying to bring Neville's spirit up. "Are you still planning to help Professor Sprout replant the schools Mimbulus Mimbeltonia?" she asked knowing it was Neville's favorite plant given to him by his uncle Algie.

"Yes," Neville brightened up, "It's a rather difficult plant to grow, given that you can send stinksap everywhere." he said while starting to laugh, "I accidentally flung some at my grans hat once, I think it made the vulture look better!"

The compartment door opened while he was explaining his mishap, Ron and Ginny had only caught the tail end of his explanation, but it was enough to send Ginny into a fit of giggles.

"Does she wear that thing everywhere, or is it for special occasions only? And what did you fling at it? It could only make it better." Ginny said all this in a rush while looking at Neville.

_'Looks like Ginny has moved on to the next best man at Hogwarts, remind me to keep an eye out for butter dishes at the Gryffindor table for the next few days okay?' _Hermione thought cheekily at the sight of a blushing Ginny sitting next to Neville. Harry just nodded laughing internally at her pluck.

"It was stinksap, and yes, she wears that hat everywhere, it's her prized possession. I'm Neville, by the way, Neville Longbottom. You must be Ron's sister Ginny." Neville said while holding his hand out in introduction.

"Pleased to meet you Neville, and yes I'm afraid I am Ron's sister, the only girl among six boys." The way Ginny's eyes rolled at the six boys part made Harry giggle. "Oh excuse me, seven boys, I forgot we adopted the one who lived over there." She added on while sticking her tongue out at a now fully laughing Harry.

_'Oh thank-god our Gin is back! Sass and all!' _Harry mentally slid over to Hermione.

"Don't worry Gin, by adding Harry to that group, that means you get a sister then too, if nothing more than a sister-in-law." Hermione stated while smiling at the girl.

The brightness of the smile Ginny was wearing lit up the compartment and might rival the glow from their bond. Hermione was extremely happy, so happy she could even forget that Ron was a prat in the past timeline. She would give this version a chance, but he was only getting one. If Ron the rump came back to life, she would place a bet that he would get his arse kicked, if not by her then by Harry.

"You'd never believe it Ron," Neville started suddenly, "you just missed Malfoy."

"WHAT?!" Ron yelled, "What did he want?"

"He wanted to drop off a present that Sirius forgot to give to me before he left the station," Harry explained, hoping that Ron wouldn't blow his streak of good behavior. "He's now the head of the Malfoy family, and with his mom becoming a Black again, well, he wants to change his ways." Harry said, still not believing it himself.

"Yes, he really is trying hard not to be a spoiled brat." Hermione added on.

"Well that must be strange," Ron said with a face, "What's in the present then?"

"Dunno, didn't open it yet," Harry replied while looking towards Hermione. "What do you say love? Shall we open them?"

Instead of replying Hermione just simply started to unwrap the brown paper wrapped box with her name on it. Inside of the box was a very simple, sleek watch with a note attached. 'Put the watch on and say your husbands name' the note read in Sirius's handwriting. Seeing that Harry already had his present opened and already on his wrist, Hermione placed hers on and said, "Harry Potter."

Harry's watch started to heat up and vibrate slightly, turning his wrist to look at the face of the watch apparently answered the 'call' as Hermione's face showed up on his watch face, and his on hers.

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed while watching as the two figured out the small details of the watches.

"My note says to say the name of my favorite 'uncle'." Harry explained out loud. _'Do you think both uncles have the watch?' _Harry thought over to Hermione.

_'Probably, this just looks like a smaller version of the mirror he gave you. I wonder when he had time to do this?' _Hermione thought back.

"This seems like as good a time as any for a prank, don't you think love?" Harry said this with a mischievous look in his eyes. "Here goes nothing, Remus Lupin!" he said with a tad bit of enthusiasm.

'Hello Pup,' the laughing face of Remus Lupin appeared on Harry's watch face. 'HEY! WHAT GIVES!' Padfoot's voice yelled in the background.

"Sirius Black." Hermione laughed into her own watch.

'Thank-you my lovlie, you are now my favorite god daughter ever!' Sirius' voice said from her watch.

Laughing Hermione simply told Sirius, "I'm your only goddaughter!"

With everyone in the compartment now laughing, Sirius wanted to know who was all there. Hermione turned her wrist and introduced their friends, all of which Sirius knew already from their explanations. 'Well then, that makes it easy enough I have three more watches and one mirror hooked up to this network ready to go. I'll have Dobby pop over the watches for your friends' Sirius stated much to everyone's delight.

A small pop was heard as Dobby deposited the watches to their friends.

'The mirror is at your parent's house on the opposite wall of James and Lily's portrait. That way you can talk with all four of them if you wish.' Remus provided.

"Amazing!" Harry exclaimed, "I didn't want to take them with us since our Dad's have become quite fond of each other, this is a perfect work around!"

'Exactly my least favorite pup,' Sirius replied with a huff, 'we are currently working on more watches, so if you two want we could always add on more' he said this with a wink knowing Harry would understand he wanted to give the twins a set.

'I uploaded the Marauders Map to these as well, Sirius, your father, and I used to have a map at school that showed the location of everyone in the castle, it came in handy to avoid getting caught while doing pranks, this way you lot have a portable version. Simply say the key phrase into the watch and it will pop up.' Remus informed again.

"Bloody Hell, that's amazing! I bet the twins would love that!" Ron said thinking of his twin brothers of chaos.

'Well, we didn't want to take up all your time on the train, there is an instruction manual in Harry's box, use it well, and don't behave' Sirius said with a laugh at his play at words.

Remus just simply rolled his eyes and told them to not get caught. Once everyone signed off their watches, the compartment went a little crazy, well with everyone testing out their new watches.

The rest of the train ride was spent in near silence however, Hermione had duplicated the manual meaning everyone was busy reading through the tiny booklet about their watch. _It really is a miracle, _Hermione thought, _Ron's reading, legitimately reading!_

Harry busted out laughing at Hermione's thought, everyone looked at him weirdly, but he didn't care, this was the best trip on the Express that he has ever taken, and with the basilisk going to remain in the chamber, he prayed this year would be uneventful. They had a lot to accomplish yet, mainly studying and practicing.

Once they arrived at Hogwarts, they said goodbye to Ginny, letting her know they would save a spot for her at Gryffindor table as there was no way she would go anywhere else. The four of them Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville, climbed into a 'horseless' carriage and headed to the school.

The opening feast was blissfully uneventful. Harry, not having the redo this part as he didn't actually make it to the opening feast in the first run, was just thankful he didn't have to deal with the whomping willow this year.

Across the great hall Draco was making good on his promise, he ditched Crabbe and Goyle, and told Pansy of his decision to dissolve their betrothal contract. Needless to say, she wasn't pleased at this turn of events and had taken to trying to murder him with her eyes. He had spent the train ride to Hogwarts in the company of Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, both Slytherins in his year, and both exceptionally smart; not Granger smart, but smart enough to hold a fairly decent conversation.

Nott's father was a death eater like Draco's; however, his father didn't come out alive. Nott had a particularly strong hatred of anyone associated with the Dark Lord because of this, which explains why he didn't much like Draco last year.

Zabini on the other hand, came from a wealthy family, his mother was said to be an exceptionally beautiful witch with exceptionally bad luck, she had married seven different times, each time her husband would tragically die. After the fourth husband's death, people started to suspect that she was to blame, but no one could ever pin the deaths on her. Zabini was a loner for the most part, extremely quiet, but exceptionally cunning and smart. _The hat wouldn't have been able to place him anywhere but Slytherin_, Draco thought.

Draco had explained his reasonings behind changing his ways to both the boys, both accepted him freely, understanding how hard it was to put up with an overbearing parent. Both boys experienced what it was like to do what your father expected of you, that being before their fathers had passed.

Yes, this year was looking up for Draco, now all he had to do was keep it up … and not be caught off guard by Pansy 'death glare' Parkinson.

Following the feast all the new students were shown to their dorms by a prefect, due to this Professor McGonagall was the one to lead the Potters to their new abode. Feeling nauseous as she heard what the password to their rooms was; McGonagall bid them a good night.

There accommodations at Hogwarts was essentially a self-contained flat. It had a small dinette to include a refrigerator, stove and sink; a small study area with a round table, and a cozy living area with a couch and two armchairs surrounding the fireplace. It was warm and cozy, just like the Gryffindor common room. Off to the side just beside their study table was the door to their room, a comfortable queen size bed with a four-poster frame and curtains sat in the middle of the room, with two bedside tables and a closet.

"Perfect" Hermione stated out loud. "This will do nicely, its quite cozy in here."

"It is, isn't it." Harry agreed, "I think the password made McGonagall a little nervous though… do you think she knows who Padfoot and Prongs are?"

"Oh absolutely, she was their head of house after all." Hermione said smirking.

After putting their things away Harry and Hermione climbed into bed, it was set to be an interesting year at Hogwarts, one they are sure will still be filled with mischief and mayhem.

Ginny Weasley was happy, she was in fact placed into Gryffindor house, her brothers were making sure she was settled in but weren't being overbearing, and Harry and Hermione wanted to be her family as well! The only downside into Ginny's new school career was that her best friend Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw, she hoped that she was having as good of a transition as she was.

In the boy's dorm Neville felt empowered! True, his new best friend would no longer be sharing a dorm with him like he was last year, but he could always go to their quarters, and besides in times of desperation he had his watch. The features were amazing, and it made him feel included! That was a feeling he had never had before and didn't think he would have after standing up against the trio last year. It was a great way to start his new year at Hogwarts, he thought, _so long as I can make it through potions without fainting or dying._

Ron Weasley was awash with confusion, which to be honest wasn't all that different than he normally was, this time however he was confused on his friendship. _Why would they keep something so big from me? We told each other everything last year. Maybe it was true that they didn't know until Harry went to stay with them, but how would things change now that his best friends were married? Where do I fit in,_ he wondered?

"It was a good day wasn't it Ron?" Neville questioned as he was getting ready to lay down.

"Yeah, it was! I'm glad it's been relatively quiet this year, considering all the mess we were in last year. I don't think my mum could handle me getting in trouble on the first day along with the twins being the twins." Ron explained.

Nodding Neville wanted to say what was on his mind, "Your quite lucky Ron, to have such good friends. I'll be honest I didn't think you guys would have been as close as you are now if the things last year didn't happen. You were a right prat to Hermione in the beginning."

"Yeah, I was, and I'm truly sorry for it, Hermione's great, and now that she's with Harry it's almost like I have a second sister to watch over, I always enjoyed being included in the guys need to protect Gin, and for Harry to save her life this summer… well I don't think I could ever repay him." Ron said honestly.

Neville was surprised, the attention seeking Ron from last year seemed to be really affected by the close call that happened at the book shop this summer. Feeling comfortable knowing that he had friends that love him, Neville continued to speak his mind. "To be honest I didn't think you lot would even want to talk to me after last year, I didn't know what all was going on and I had stood up to you. I'm still surprised that I got a watch to be honest." Neville said, a little bit of doubt snaking its way back in to his newfound confidence.

"Neville, we never blamed you for standing up, you have to know that! You got us ten points and helped us win the house cup from the snakes!" Ron said, "Besides, just like Dumbledore said you were a true Gryffindor, I don't think I would be brave enough to stand up to Hermione…" Ron let that compliment hang in the air, just thinking about standing up against Hermione sent shivers down his spine.

Laying down after saying goodnight to Neville, Ron stopped to think about everything they had just discussed. Somewhere in the back of his brain he wanted to be mad, mad that Harry was getting everything that he wanted, fame and fortune, being on the quidditch team with his brothers, and now a wife so early on. Besides the whole wife thing, Ron had to admit he wasn't ready for that yet, Harry had a pretty fantastic life. Then a bolt of electricity hit his heart, he thought about Ginny, who knows what that book could have done to her. His dad said that it was the property of he-who-must-not-be-named, and having been told what Quirrell was attempting to do to Harry last year with the dude sticking out of his head, he didn't want to imagine Ginny like that.

No, Harry's life was going to be full of danger, and run ins with that guy, why couldn't he just stay dead? Thinking about it, Ron decided that after pulling the bars off Harry's window, that he would rather have his own life, with a loving family, then Harry's living with those horrible muggles.

No, Ron thought, Harry's life isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and for saving his sister he would now, more than ever, consider Harry family and that was that. Harry was his brother in all but blood, and nothing could come between that! Then he silently fell asleep, silent, that was, until the snoring began.

Elsewhere in some weird limbo like place, three men where sitting on a couch having a spot of tea with a young married couple.

"I can't believe he's acting rationally!" Billius stated, "He was a right prat when trying to talk some sense into him… I wonder what changed?"

"We aren't out of the woods yet, Mr. Weasley," James commented, "his morals will be put to the test yet."

"And I couldn't help myself, I wasn't going to let some half wit ruin my baby boy's chance of survival." Lily said with a little touch of disdain in her voice. "I pulled some strings with Fate and had her help him see events in a different way." Blushing a little bit as she said this Lily continued as she was getting shocked questioning looks from the faces of the three men.

"Ronald Weasley was always hyper focused on himself, Fate showed him what he stood to lose with such an attitude. Mainly his only sister, on top of that she also showed him what he could gain, in this case two family members and another close friend in Neville." Lily said with a shrug, someone had to talk some sense into him, it just turned out that that someone had to be himself.

"But how did you get Fate to do that?" Fabian asked, no doubt in awe of the pretty red head.

"Oh, that was easy, Harry and Hermione were given a chance to go back with their present knowledge, unlike Ron was, they have a special mission to complete for Death himself. Voldemort has defied death many times, he created several things called horcruxes that allow for him to remain tied to earth, essentially flipping Death the bird." Lily explained.

"On top of which, Harry is a descendant from the third Peverell brother. Do you three know the tale of the three brothers, or about the deathly hallows?" James asked a little excited to tell the tale about his lineage.

"Only the tale from the bard." Gideon replied.

"Ah, well that tale is not so far removed from the truth, you see the three brothers in the that tale are Cadmus, Antioch, and Ignotus Peverell. At the end of the tale, only one brother departed the earth as an equal, that brother would be my ancestor Ignotus Peverell, the owner of the cloak; a cloak that Harry himself is now in possession of as I had passed it down to him, and it was one of the only things that prat of a headmaster did right." James said in anger over everything Dumbledore messed up.

Shocked, Billius asked something that was, up until this point, only thought to be fiction. "I am to understand that three of the founders of Hogwarts were descended from the Peverell family. Is that true?"

James just smiled, not many people knew of that tale, even fewer believed it. "It's not entirely true, only Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were descended from the Peverell line. Now Ignotus Peverell and ultimately my family, are all related to Godric." He paused for a bit due to the gasps the three men put off. Waiting for them to calm down James continued.

"Cadmus however was a relation of Salazar, and the stone had been passed down thru their family line for generations just like the cloak was for mine. The stone has been turned into a horcrux by Voldemort himself, after he killed his uncle Morfin, who was the last family member to be in possession of the stone." James waited with hope that they would get the point he was trying to make on their own, he loved telling this story to an attentive audience, and that was so hard to find in this place he found himself in.

Turns out he had one this time, as a gasp let loose from Gideon, "You mean to tell me that Voldemort is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin?!"

Once again smiling, James continued to explain the Peverell's lineage, which ultimately led into what their plans were for the kids, and what they hoped to achieve. In the end, the three men decided to stick around, not only to offer their minds to the cause, but to continue to talk with the young couple; as they very much enjoyed the company that the young Potters provided.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Plan

Wow! Chapter 10! I can't believe it. I honestly thought I would write a small simple one off, low and behold as I started writing I realized it might need to be a few chapters, I now realize this story might stretch out quite a bit, I'm thinking somewhere in the ball park of 20 chapters or so... guess it depends on where I take the story. I kind of like developing characters that J.K. Rowling didn't touch too much upon herself. It's fun to bring life to a background character like Theodore Nott or even a character like Neville. Like always please review and let me know how I'm doing. J.K. Rowling is responsible for everything, I just twist her words and bring life to my own thoughts on the story she initially gave us. Thank-you all for the support and reviews! See you in the next chapter!

-Jwall

Chapter 10.

The following first week of classes went by without any kind of commotion, Harry and Hermione felt that classes were going to be fairly easy to keep up in, only the writing assignments would create any kind of break away from their 'advanced' studies. They had taken a trip to the room of requirement on the second day of class, they wanted to keep it a secret for a bit from their friends, as they required its use to follow through with not only their hunt for the Diadem, but also for the unique quality of the room to change into anything that they wished for it to be.

It was in the room that they found themselves in currently, having already found the Diadem and placed it inside a protective box that Hermione conjured; which was currently sitting inside a safe they had asked the room to create on a different day, there for allowing them to still use the room but, keep their distance from the tainted crown. One would have to be very specific if they wanted to find the horcrux.

They figured they could keep it hidden away until they could find a way to destroy them. Last time they used the basilisk fang, having not killed the giant ruddy snake, they were at a loss of a safe way to destroy horcruxes. True fiend fire seemed to do the trick last time, but that was a very unstable spell, one that damaged the beautiful room they were currently seeking haven in.

"Maybe we should have you play up hearing the snake again? We already know the whole school is going to eventually find something to blame you for." Hermione put forth the suggestion.

"But how would I make it believable when I haven't heard it last year? And with no one to release the beast, it wouldn't be roaming the school." Harry answered.

"True, and we don't want to set the beast free, who's to say we get as lucky this time around? It's just too much of a chance." Hermione continued to think, slowly turning a curl around her finger.

Dropping the curl, Hermione had an idea pop into her brilliant mind, "Harry, I think we are going about this all the wrong way," She said this while walking over and sitting next to him on the couch he was on.

"We have been trying to think of a way we, as two students, could handle the situation. We already have a pair of Marauders on our side, why don't we use them?" Hermione questioned.

Catching the idea, and thinking it was a good one, Harry raised his watch and called for Sirius.

'What's up pup?' Sirius said as his face came up on Harry's watch.

"Hey Padfoot, Hermione and I were just thinking about how we are going to dispose of our hidden gem," Harry said, not knowing exactly where or who Sirius was with.

'Ahh yes, I'm at home by the way, how did you guys dispose of the horcruxes last time?' Sirius asked while rubbing his chin.

"Well, we sort of stabbed them with a basilisk fang, and its not like that is really an option for us this go around, seeing as we saved Ginny from experiencing the beast." Harry said.

Hermione was still thinking about the problem as Harry and Sirius talked, what they needed was a way to either impregnant the sword of Gryffindor again or find a different safe way to dispose of the horcruxes. _The sword would be the best as it was goblin made … _"Harry! I have an idea!" Hermione said rather excitedly.

Both Harry and Sirius stopped talking about containing fiend fire and listened to Hermione's idea. "The sword of Gryffindor!" Hermione started but Harry interrupted her.

"I thought about the sword already Hermione, I didn't slay the basilisk with it, not to mention we would have to find it first." Harry said.

Hermione just huffed, and rolled her eyes, "I have already thought about all that Harry, but what makes the sword able to kill horcruxes?" she asked impatiently.

"Because it was impregnated with basilisk venom?" Harry asked curiously, they just went over the fact that the great ruddy snake is still alive, so he's not sure where this was going.

"And what makes the sword able to _be_ impregnated with the venom?" Hermione placed emphasis on the 'be' hoping that Harry would catch on.

"Of course! The only reason the sword worked to begin with was because it was goblin made!" Harry was finally on the same page as his wife, "Sirius, do we know of any goblin made weaponry? Particularly a knife or sword?" Harry asked his godfather hopefully.

'My mother had a set of goblin made kitchen knives, they should still be sitting in the kitchen at number twelve. But even with the goblin made blades, how do you propose to kill the snake? Doesn't that still have to be done?' Sirius questioned.

"Isn't there a way to purchase the venom? I remember last time Snape was all bent out of shape because he wanted to render the snake for potions, I'm sure it would be pricey, but all we would need is a few drops." Hermione stated.

'I can check and see with Bogrod, maybe he would know some place to get the venom? I could also confer with Amelia, since she knows about what our aim is anyway.' Sirius said while throwing on a robe, 'I'll get right on it as I didn't have anything planned for today anyway.'

Harry and Sirius talked for a bit longer then hung up. "Hermione, I know I have told you before, but you are the most brilliant witch ever!" Harry said right before giving Hermione a kiss. Something they didn't do all that often as their age dictated that they shouldn't be that comfortable in public, something Harry didn't particularly like.

Hearing his thoughts his wife answered out loud, "Harry, we both know that we have lived this life before, and when we are away from school it doesn't have to be this way, but the last thing we need is Dumbledore getting a whiff of this," she said this with a sigh, "you know he would hound us for months, and would probably insist upon wiping our memories, you know for the 'greater good' or some rubbish like that."

Harry agreed. Dumbledore, while still needed, couldn't be trusted. Thinking about trust, Harry asked Hermione her feelings on Ron. "How do you feel about Ron love? It feels like he's changed, but we all know that it could simply be a façade until he loses his temper."

"I'm still not sure about him, I say we leave things progress as they have, what's the worse that can happen, we stop being his friend? We were planning for that anyway. I have to say, even compared to last time's Ron during this same time-frame, he has improved tenfold." Hermione said while once again twirling a piece of hair around her finger.

"That's true, I do really enjoy the less self-absorbed Ron." Harry stated, deciding now was a good time to mull over their other friendships he continued, "And what about Malfoy?"

Hermione thought back to this past week, Malfoy didn't necessarily go out of his way to talk with them, but he wasn't a gigantic ferret either. "I think that his dad getting put away really set Malfoy free, he is able to be the person he truly wants to be without the pressure of pleasing his father. This Malfoy has the power to do with his life as he pleases and won't be forced into the servitude of Voldemort."

"True, he also ditched the kids of other death eaters and ended his betrothal to Pansy. He seems to have more friends now too." Harry thought about Zabini and Nott, "And they all have very anti-death eater attitudes."

"Narcissa once told me that he used to get whipped with a belt because I did better than him in our classes. She also said he has some light scaring because his skin is so pale." Hermione said with a frown, she knew Harry carried belt scars on his back too.

"Yeah, he told me about that actually." Harry thought back to his conversation earlier that week with Malfoy in the library. They were the only ones around, so Malfoy felt comfortable sharing a table with him, continuing his plan to make up for last year. They talked about their home lives and shared a little bit about what it was like being head of a family.

Malfoy obviously knew Harry took the mantle of the Potters because of Narcissa, and made a promise not to spread it around the castle or to Dumbledore, who still believed that with Harry married, he still had no idea that he even had a house to be head of.

"And what about Ginny and Neville?" Hermione asked bringing Harry out of his flashback.

"I think that Ginny will lead a very different life than the one we knew, simply because her childhood wouldn't be stolen from the horcrux. I still truly believe that because of that event she became obsessed with me, that it was the whole reason behind the clinginess." Harry said with a frown, he didn't like to think about the old Ginny too much, she was completely different now.

"And as far as Nev goes, I'm hoping with friends and family surrounding him at a much earlier time, that we get the snake slaying Neville Longbottom back. It pains me to see him so shy and nervous." Harry's frown still not leaving his face, "Speaking of which, we need to do something to help him through potions. I thought our double potions lesson almost destroyed him. Snape really is an arse."

Hermione agreed, she had already offered to tutor Neville in potions, but practice is what he really needed, and that wasn't something you could do outside the classroom … or was it? Looking around the room of requirement Hermione gained yet another idea.

"Harry, what do you think about showing Neville this room? I know he can keep a secret, and it was bound to get out eventually, we both know the map will show us disappearing, and Neville is much faster than Ron on picking up things like that." Hermione said, hoping that Harry would see the need.

"I think that's a brilliant idea love, and Neville is really good at keeping secrets, he was the only person in the last timeline who knew how I felt about you." Harry said while blushing.

"Did he really, he had no tells, I had even asked him about you from time to time, he never let anything slip!" Hermione was now joining Harry in blushing. Looks like they both fancied each other but felt cornered into their relationships.

In order to avoid an embarrassing topic Harry suggested, "Should we invite him up now?"

Looking at the map feature on her watch, Hermione noticed that Neville was alone in the green houses, "Neville Longbottom" Hermione said clearly into her watch.

'Hello Hermione,' Neville's face filled her screen as his voice could be heard coming from her wrist.

"Hello Neville, are you busy?" Hermione asked.

'Not at the moment, just checking up on my Mimbeltonia.' Neville said while looking away from the watch at something, most likely a plant.

"Harry and I would like to show you something we have recently found; I think it will help me tutor you in potions. Will you meet us on the seventh floor by that tapestry of the dancing trolls?" Hermione asked.

'Sure, I'll be right up' the hopeful voice of Neville said, then hung up.

Because the room could create or change to anything you need, Hermione thought it would be the perfect space for a potions lesson. Besides that, she could ask for the space to protect Neville if he were to come into danger; something they learned in their D.A. days. Hermione placed the book she was reading into her book bag and walked with Harry out into the corridor to wait for Neville.

It took the slightly chubby Neville ten minutes, but he made it. Hermione remembered that next year was when he would sprout up and no longer be the same height as her, looking towards Harry, Hermione made a mental note to speak with Madam Pomfrey about his growth. Given James' height and body build, it was entirely possible that Harry was stunted, she only hoped that it could be corrected.

"Hey Nev, thanks for meeting us, before we show you the room, we wanted to make sure you know to keep this a secret, nobody really knows about this place, not even the twins. We plan on telling everyone eventually, but for now we would like to keep this just between us and add people as we go. Sound good?" Harry asked, knowing full well it was a pretty useless question, Neville was their resident Hufflepuff, he was superbly loyal.

"Sure, I can do that." Neville promised, he was just happy to be included in something.

"Okay, I'm going to open the room for us, but before we head back to the tower, I would like for you to do it yourself, just so you know how." Harry said, then started to pace back in forth in front of the blank wall three times.

Neville couldn't believe his eyes, even growing up in a pureblood household didn't mute the shock he felt at the sight of the giant oak door that appeared out of nowhere. Opening that door however blew his mind, there right before them, was a three-person set up for potions. "WOW!" was all he could say.

Harry just clapped Neville on the back and walked him into the room. Harry generally liked Neville, he was as loyal as any Puff, he was super smart like a Claw … when he had the confidence, he proved to be cunning like the Snakes in the other timeline, and Merlin knows he's brave as the Lion he is. In fact, Harry thought, if things were just a tad different our roles would be reversed, he would hold the scar and have lost his parents, while I would have mine in St. Mungos.

'We should tell Nev.' Harry thought over to Hermione, 'He can not only help us, but it would give him so much confidence.' Harry finished up his argument.

Hermione thought about it, the only downside would be that someone like Snape or Dumbledore plucking his thoughts from his mind. Harry hearing her thoughts as she didn't protect them herself, decided to ask Neville the question.

"Nev, do you know anything about Occlumency?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, my Gran made sure to teach me the basics, she said that she didn't trust Dumbledore not to pull something from my head without my consent." Neville said with a blush, he thought his Gran was a little paranoid sometimes, but he loved her.

"That's amazing Neville, and your Gran is right, both Dumbledore and Snape are expert legilimens." Harry advised while re sending his thoughts back over to Hermione.

'Okay, but we need to make sure we don't freak him out.' Hermione thought for a moment and suddenly the potions desks turned into a single table that held a pensive, she also asked to make the room secure from anyone who wasn't them, the room instantly put up wards to protect and notified her that there was no one else present.

"WOAH, what kind of room are we in?!" Neville asked in amazement at the transformation.

"Nev, take a seat," Harry said as three comfy armchairs appeared out of nowhere, "we want to explain a few things to you, some of which is going to be rather hard to believe, but I think you'll understand after we can show you a few things in the pensive."

Neville took a seat as Harry and Hermione took the other two, Hermione decided to start them out, "Neville, in reality Harry and I have already lived through our school years, we beat Voldemort but at the cost of a lot of good people, we were offered the chance to travel back and re-live our past in hopes of making some changes and to spare good people their lives."

"Woah." Was all that Neville said, a little in shock.

Harry didn't want him to start asking a million questions so let Nev know to keep all questions till the end, then asked if he needed a quill and parchment to keep notes; the room provided the objects when Neville said that he would.

Harry then took over from Hermione, "Nev, the reasons we are letting you into our secret is simple, you were the beacon of hope when Hermione, Ron, and I were away from Hogwarts, you rallied the troops and kept the younger students protected. You are a great warrior my friend, and the epidemy of a Hogwarts student."

Neville was now blushing at the praise for something he had no knowledge of doing. Harry wanted to make sure that Neville knew everything so he continued, "Another reason we are telling you all this is because we want to help you, it hurts us to see you so unsure of yourself after the Neville that we left behind. We want to show you when we think the change happened and offer our help to show you that you can be that guy again, but earlier this time."

"Do you know what this bowl is in front of us Neville?" Hermione asked, Neville shaking his head no saw her explaining what a pensive was. "We would like to show you our memories of the future, would you like to see what you became in the last timeline Nev?" Hermione asked thinking she already knew the answer.

Neville nodded his head and watched as Hermione pulled what looked like a silver string from her temple and placed it in the bowl, he followed their instructions and placed a finger into the liquid and gasped as he was transported to a different time.

Overall the Potters showed Neville many things, they explained what could have been from their past knowledge, who he could have been, and then finally some snippets with Harry's parents in the limbo like area. Neville was raw with emotion, he never got to meet his godmother, but seeing as she hugged Harry and Hermione, he just knew he would love her. He also couldn't believe what he saw in himself from the other time, _I KILLED A SNAKE! THE SNAKE! VOLDEMORTS SNAKE!_ He couldn't believe it, and he looked good!

"Nev, are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in all at once, but we didn't know when we would get the chance to do this again, we have so much that needs to be done yet." Hermione started to say.

"I'm fine Hermione, you're right though, it is a lot to take in. Thank-you for trusting me with this secret, I know it's very important, and the fact that you both trust me enough to share this even though I'm not yet that snake slayer makes me feel good." Neville said with a little more confidence.

"You have never steered us wrong Nev, and as you can see we are a little leery around Ron still, even though we could have changed things to make him a different person, we still have trust issues when it comes to him." Harry said while looking at Hermione.

"Understandable, I had even made a comment to him just a few nights ago, I made note of the fact that you guys were still friends even though Ron was a giant prat last year." Neville said remembering, "he appeared to be extremely grateful and even stated he didn't think he could repay you guys for saving Ginny, that he considered you both family, now more than ever."

"Wow, maybe we did change enough that the prat is gone for good? I mean we are still going to take everything with a grain of salt, I'm not going to trust that he can change for good, what with that legendary Weasley temper." Hermione said with a nod to Harry.

Harry, seeing the nod, proceeded to get things back on track, the room changed back to the potions lab and he started in with explaining something funny to Neville, "Nev, last time you had just as hard of a time in potions as you do now, even when you were the snake slayer simply because Snape is a horrible person. He tormented you so badly that in year three when we were learning about Boggarts, a shapeshifter that's defense mechanism is to change into your greatest fear, yours was Snape."

Neville could see Snape being his biggest fear, "what did I do about it?" Neville asked politely.

Once more the pensive was brought out, Harry saying he would rather show Neville than explain. They both came out of the pensive laughing like hyenas.

"So, as you can see, we want to help you so that your biggest fear can be like Hermione here and be failing a test or spiders like Ron's, not some bully of a teacher." Harry finished up their argument.

Glancing at the time on her watch, Hermione estimated that they had roughly three hours left before they had to be in for curfew. They showed Neville the basis of brewing and helped him catch up on any homework from the first week of school. They had lost track of time and almost missed curfew, but it was worth it to help Neville feel more secure in himself.

A couple of weeks went by with nothing out of the ordinary, well nothing except for three blue third year Gryffindor boys, it seems one of the twin's pranks backfired and turned themselves and Lee Jordan bright royal blue.

Neville, with the help of Harry and Hermione was getting remarkably better at potions as well as transfiguration and charms. So much better in fact that Professor Flitwick awarded them both five points for helping a fellow student. The one subject that lacked for everyone, not just Neville, was their DADA class, without Ginny creating a ruckus, Lockhart continued to spew nonsense. Harry and Hermione hadn't bothered showing up to his class at all, and as he didn't take roll call in favor of talking about himself, he didn't even notice.

"You guys, something has to be done about Lockhart." Neville said one day while practicing his potion for that week in the room of requirement. "We haven't learned a damn thing, on top of that people noticed that you both have been missing, and if he didn't notice Harry not being there why would he notice a few more?" Neville continued only breaking to roll his eyes.

"There are only seven people left in his class! Seven! Six if you don't count Ron sleeping through the whole thing. And he doesn't even care." Neville finished up with disappointment in his voice.

"Wow, looks like we are going to have to play our plan a little earlier than we thought Hermione." Harry said while rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had.

"I guess so, but I think we need to change it around a bit, since we have Neville on board with our secret, we can use his Gran to our benefit." Hermione said while writing down her plan for the doofus.

"My Gran?" questioned Neville.

"Yup, she's on the board of education here at Hogwarts, isn't she?" Hermione asked, maybe things have changed more than they thought?

"Yes, she is, in fact she's head of the board." Neville stated while catching onto Hermione's thought process.

Neville really started coming into his own after they let him into their secret, you could really notice the difference in both his confidence and the way he held himself.

"I could get a list of all the members, if we had several students write directly to the board, they wouldn't be able to sweep it under the rug. I think Harry writing to my Gran might help immensely too. Gran was close to your parents as they were best friends with my parents." Neville explained his reasoning.

"Good idea Neville, and I know just the pair to lead the pack." Harry said this with a gleam in his eye. Lifting his watch up he said, "Fred Weasley"

Hermione catching his drift quickly raised her own and said "George Weasley", knowing full well that they would talk in tandem, while mentally making a note to ask Sirius to see if he can tweak the watch so that the twins could have a split screen.

Ron's prediction came true as the twins realized the group had a set of watches they could use to communicate and sought out Harry. He didn't however let on quite yet about the map feature, he wanted to save that for a time in which they could be together and see their faces when they discovered their beloved map on the watch, or that their beloved watch was made by their idols for that matter.

'Hello' the twins sounded in unison from both Harry's and Hermione's watches.

"Hello boys, I have an idea for a prank and thought I would go to the best duo in the school" Harry started, knowing full well the twins wouldn't be able to pass up a prank.

'Absolutely' Fred said.

'We are at your service' said George.

"Perfect" Hermione said eyeing up Harry asking him over their bond if this was as good of an idea as they thought. Seeing him nod his head she continued, "Guys we are up on the seventh floor, we have a little hidden room, we would like for you to meet us by the tapestry of the dancing trolls."

'A secret room?' George said shocked

'One that we don't even know about' Fred said.

'I was going to ask about payment' George started, 'But that's payment enough' finished Fred.

Several moments later, Fred and George were standing in front of the noted tapestry waiting for the group, questioning to each other how there could be a secret room when there were no rooms in the vicinity, when a door became visible to them from out of nowhere.

Harry walking out of the door to the shocked faces on the twins made him laugh, "Come on you lot, we have a lot to talk about and we don't want anyone to over hear our plans" he said this while keeping an eye on his watch, Percy was making his way up here no doubt following his twin brothers, he just didn't know all the secret passages like they did.

Once they were all in the room Harry asked the room to become hidden again, just as Percy was reaching the seventh floor.

"Phew that was close," Harry said as he closed the map feature on his watch. "Now gentlemen, I do believe we have a few shocks to amaze you with, and one very big secret that we would like for you to keep." As soon as Harry finished Hermione began, she thought it would be a funny prank to give the twins a rare taste of their own medicine.

"We understand that to be pranksters you both would have a rudimentary level of occlumency." Hermione stated.

"And that is something that we need to know one hundred percent before we tell you all of our secrets." Said Harry.

"After all is said and done" started Hermione.

"We will have the biggest, best, surprise to you both." Harry finished setting the trap.

Shocked faces let way to one very long look between the brothers. Neville was laughing silently, he thought pranking the pranksters of Hogwarts was a great feat.

After a long what appeared to be a long mental conversation between themselves the twins gave their answer.

"We agree to keep you secrets," started George, explaining that they were in fact rather strong in occlumency.

"And we expect a full explanation on your twin powers" finished Fred.

Laughing the Potters agreed to their terms as the room shifted from the small classroom looking space into a cozy replica of the Gryffindor common room. Now thoroughly amused by their faces Neville spoke up, "It's amazing isn't it?"

"Harry?" questioned George.

"Hermione?" followed Fred.

"What is this place?" they asked in unison.

Smiling Harry decided to add a little flair to his explanation, "Welcome Gentlemen, to the room of requirement, it will change into anything that you need."

"Following Gamp's law however, the room does have a few restrictions. It can't for example make food appear out of nowhere but can make more food if you bring it in with you." Hermione couldn't help but lecture. Even though she toned down her know-it-all tendencies she still wanted everyone to be safe.

Neville, who was grateful for Hermione's quick explanation, took a seat on an armchair by the fire leaving the two couches for the others.

After everyone was seated Harry began the intro to their secret. "I would like to start gentlemen, by explaining a few more key things about your watches. As you know my godfather and his best friend made the watches for us, they, knowing who you two were, already had a set made and ready for you."

"How did they know who we are?" questioned George while he looked at Fred in amazement.

"How could they not know who the biggest pranksters currently attending Hogwarts are when they consider themselves the best there has ever been?" Hermione said laughing.

"Not possible!" Fred said.

"They couldn't be more legendary than our idols!" George continued.

"Gentlemen, settle down, all will become clear if you just let us finish our explanation." Harry said with a chuckle. Noticing the twins nod in unison Harry continued. "Now, in order for me to explain a key feature of the watch I'm going to require your assistance."

Once again looking towards each other for a moment found the twins nodding in acceptance.

"I'm going to require the map you are both so fond of." Harry stated, rather amused at the look of astonishment on their faces.

"How did you know of the map Harry?" Fred asked.

"We never told anyone we had it, not even Lee!" George finished.

"I'll explain myself in due time guys, may I see the map please?" Harry asked politely.

Not wanting to give all their secrets away, _maybe he knew about the map from overhearing us, _George thought to Fred. Agreeing with his brother's train of thought Fred handed the map, blank, over to Harry.

"Ah, thank-you," Harry said while taking out his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Harry said the pass phrase as he tapped the map to make it come to life, much to the surprise of the twins.

Knowing the waiting would drive them nuts Harry quickly continued his explanation as he touched a few of the runes on the map itself, "you see gentlemen, I know secrets of this map that you both most likely haven't figured out yet." He said as he set the map into 'search' mode and placed in Ron's name, the map immediately unfolded a different section showing Ron in the kitchens making Hermione laugh a little.

"Amazing" Fred said and for once George didn't tack anything on to his brothers' sentence, instead he sat staring at Harry.

"It is an amazing piece of ingenuity put in place by four friends, my dad was Prongs." Harry said nonchalantly, "And my godfather and uncle are Padfoot and Moony." He finished as the shocked expressions turned to awe as the twins worked out, rather quickly, that their watches were made by their idols.

"What happened to Wormtail?" Fred asked out of curiosity.

Harry who schooled his expression to mask the anger he still felt at the rat answered, "Wormtail was the rat formerly known as Scabbers."

Both twins paled immediately.

"It's okay gentlemen, we were both grossed out by the situation when we found out as well." Hermione stated with a rather green hue to her complexion.

"Is that your secret then?" George asked.

"Because we would have no problem keeping that." Fred finished.

"It's part of it lads, we needed to let you know this part first so that we can show you the special features on your watch, however this was not the secret we wanted you to keep." Harry said as he showed the twins how to access the map from their watch. "We intended this to be your reward for helping us with our prank, however, we still have a rather large secret that we wish to tell you, for your promise of secrecy we will introduce you to Moony and Padfoot."

Both twins jumped up and surrounded Harry in a hug while attempting to perform a jig.

"Oh, son of Prongs," started Fred,

"We would promise you anything" said George,

"We would make an Unbreakable Vow, in order to meet the Marauders" Fred said seriously.

"We don't require an unbreakable vow from our friends. We know you two will keep the secret we are about to tell you." Hermione said matter of factly.

And so, Harry and Hermione, once again, told the tale of how they came back to save several good people, Fred paled when they told him of his death as he clung to his brother, both angered after Hermione told them of her annulment. After everyone was back under control from the emotional roller-coaster the other timeline was, Harry, with the help of Neville, clued them in on what they wanted to do with Lockhart.

The twins shared a scary smile and promised they could come up with what they needed. The Potters then explained the room and how they were using it to help get Neville caught up. The twins, being both older and pretty darn good in potions, offered their assistance as well.

Their reasoning behind this was simple, "We owe you for our Ronnikins being the biggest prat the Weasley family has ever seen!" Said George,

"even if he hasn't been that way so far." Finished Fred.

"And don't worry, we will make sure he stays in line, we don't want him falling into that hole again," George stated,

"Yeah, it would kill Mom and Dad to know of how he treated you." Fred said solemnly.

"Thanks guys." Hermione said as she hugged each one of them. "Now would you like to meet your idols?" she said with a smile as both boys went a little crazy.

Harry, thinking that the watches wouldn't do to have everyone crowded around, called Sirius and asked if there was a way to have a bigger screen? As soon as he finished his sentence Dobby popped in with a huge mirror, "Master Padfoot says that yous be needing this, I can bring it to your room after yous are done with it" Dobby said rather excitedly. "Just calls for Dobby when your finished." He declared right before he popped away.

Setting the mirror on a wall in front of the couch, they all gathered around as Harry called out for Sirius Black.

Getting the boys away from the mirror before curfew proved to be difficult. They were in planning mode for the whole Lockhart prank, each throwing out different ideas to make the prank even funnier. Letting the group know that Dobby planned to move the mirror into their shared quarters was the only way they could get the pranksters to say goodnight.

While walking back to the common room, Fred and George played around with their watches, noticing that the search feature would come in handy as they both saw Lockhart appear to be dancing in his chambers, with no one else around.

The group shared a laugh and bid each other goodnight, it was a good day, and tomorrow would prove to be another long day of classes before they could get back into planning mode.

Ron watched from his spot near the fire as the group walked through the portrait hole, surprisingly he didn't feel jealous at all, he simply waived to Harry and Hermione as they made their way up to their rooms, and invited Neville to a game of chess. Thinking to himself that with the look the twins had, it was probably better that he didn't know what was going on.

Meanwhile, in the dungeons, Draco Malfoy was fed up. Pansy has been nothing but trouble since the day they arrived at school, and he didn't know how to go about handling the situation. He didn't want to fall to her standards and degrade or harass her, and he definitely wasn't going to try and harm her like she was trying to do to him. _Thankfully she's shite in potions,_ Draco thought, _and even worse at subtlety, _he finished remembering her failed attempt to put a love potion in his drink at supper.

Not knowing what to do, Draco decided he needed some help from an outside source; someone who knew what to do. It was with that idea that Draco sat down and wrote a letter to his cousin Sirius. If anyone would know how to handle this properly it would be him.

Sending his eagle owl off, Draco secured his room and went to bed, hoping that Sirius would have some suggestion for him come morning.

Sirius had just gotten off the call with the twins, who he deemed as the twin terrors, when Draco's owl arrived. Reading the note, Sirius thought his problem would tie directly into his Lockhart plans nicely, now all he had to do was see where Harry and Hermione stood with Draco. Something he would need to find out tomorrow morning before replying to Draco. Sending the eagle owl off with a treat, Sirius went to find Remus, they had a prank to plan!


	11. Chapter 11 - The Goblin Way

So sorry that it took me so long to post this! It was all ready and set to go up but I have been running about like a chicken with my head cut off. Between my doctor appointments, my father in laws appointments, quitting one job and starting another I've been going crazy! I promise to update as soon as I can, but can no longer promise daily updates, its just too hard to find time to write and edit. I'm hoping to maintain several updates a week, but can't specify a time frame on them, they might be every other day, some might come out faster, but I promise more will come :)

As always I own nothing, J K Rowling is the brilliance behind Harry Potter, I just turned the story into a different version. Thank-you all for the kind words and the reviews! I'm constantly learning new things about writing! I hope you enjoy the chapter, see you in the next one!

-Jwall

Chapter 11.

Sirius and Amelia were sitting in a secret safe house drinking the last of Amelia's fire whiskey. "Sweet Merlin Sirius, how many more of these things are there?" She said with disbelief that someone could make even one, none the less multiple.

"We are aware of six total horcruxes, five now that this one is done for. There is a possibility of a seventh, but we don't know if Voldemort made it yet, or if he will." Sirius said still shaking slightly.

"Sweet mother of Merlin," Amelia said, eyes blown wide. "And who's idea was it to use the basilisk venom?" the stuff was hard to get ahold of, thankfully Croaker knew somebody in the department of mystery that had some they could use. They secured three drops for three different knives that Sirius brought.

"That would be Hermione's brilliance. I swear the girl is smarter than Dumbledore." Sirius said in admiration of his god daughter. "I should probably let them know we what we accomplished here tonight" Sirius said as he got up to leave.

"They have another one already?" Amelia asked Sirius as he was putting on his cloak.

"Yes, they currently have it safe and away from meddling crooked noses" Sirius said, no one would have any questions on who had a crooked nose, it was made well known that the Dumbledore brothers had a falling out at their sisters funeral resulting in Albus having a crooked nose.

"Would they like for it to be executed here? This one was quite loud; I would hate for it to disturb the students." Amelia suggested.

"Well, I was going to wait for this to be done at home, but I suppose we could ask them together, let me just check something out on my watch first." Sirius said, he was hoping not to have to explain the map feature tonight or have her want that kind of technology for the ministry. He didn't even know if it was possible for the map to work anywhere besides Hogwarts, as it used the magic of the school itself.

Noticing that the kids were no where to be found, Sirius made the connection that they were in the special room Harry had talked about, one that he was very interested in seeing for himself; he still couldn't believe the pup had found a place the marauders hadn't.

"Harry Potter" Sirius said clearly.

Amelia watched all this in curiosity, he obviously had some form of a tracking device on the kids so he would know they weren't in the company of prying eyes, and how did he figure out how to talk with the children while away at school? That, she decided, will be talked about after the conversation with the children ended.

"Hey Padfoot, what's up?" Harry's voice came from the watch, if that shocked Amelia what she encountered next blew her off her broom! Harry Potter's face was now being enlarged and placed on the wall.

Sirius had been working on a portable version of the full-size mirror and he figured he would try it out here. "Hey pup, who's all with you?"

"Oh, Hello Madame Bones, if you both want to discuss the Horcruxes then everyone here knows about them." Harry said while looking behind him.

"Who is all classified as everyone Harry?" Amelia asked using emphasis on his name, reminding him they were on a first name basis, "If you don't mind me asking, I was unaware that others knew about the horcruxes and want to make sure I know who I can talk freely around." she questioned.

"I don't mind at all Amelia, I'm sorry some habits are hard to break, at school everyone is professor or madame after all" Harry said with a little cheek.

"Completely understandable, I just want to make sure you know we are both on the same side, and that I understand your predicament and classify you as older than you appear." She replied.

"Thank-you Amelia, and to answer your question besides myself and Hermione we have Neville Longbottom and Fred and George Weasley present, and are the only ones who know about our traveling and the horcruxes here at school. Outside of school Hermione's parents and Remus Lupin are in the know as well for obvious reasons and I don't think we will be expanding any time soon, but I'll advise you if we should. Narcissa obviously already knew about the horcruxes and that Hermione and I are married, but not that we traveled back in time." Harry said as she heard everyone say hi in the background.

"Harry, I have made some modifications to the watch, if you would like grab a couch and turn the dial on the side four times, it will enlarge the screen, then you can levitate the image on a wall, like I'm doing right now." Sirius said hoping it worked and won't distort the picture.

Harry did as he was told and soon, he and Amelia could see all five kids on the screen sitting on a couch. Amelia tried to identify the room but couldn't, so she had to ask, "Harry are you guys someplace where others won't overhear you? I don't notice the room you are in, although judging by the colors I would guess Gryffindor commons?"

"You have a good eye Amelia" Hermione answered, "It is in fact a replica of the Gryffindor common room. We are actually in a hidden room in the castle that no one besides ourselves have currently figured out."

My word, Amelia thought, these kids keep surprising me.

"And don't worry" Harry added, "Hermione put up some heavy duty privacy charms just in case, and the twins here rigged it so we would know if anyone tried to enter the door, if they could even find it."

"Ahh, yes the famous Weasley twins" Amelia said with a smile as the twins had a shocked expression on their face, "Yes, I've heard of you two from Minerva, she let me know you two have a solid potential for me to keep an eye on for useful tools and gadgets, and your father let me know you two are looking to start your own joke shop, he's mighty proud of you two." She watched as the confusion turned into pride and thought Minerva might just have something here.

Before the twins could work themselves out of the roller coaster of emotions they were currently riding, Sirius got down to the reason for the call to begin with. "So, Amelia and I just finished off the diary. Bloody scariest thing I have ever seen, and I've been in Azkaban!" Sirius had to pause as he remembered the screams coming from the diary, his whole body convulsed once.

"Yes, it was quite horrible, but Sirius says you already have another one ready for destruction, what is it? Would you like to do it here, at our secure location?" Amelia asked while she herself hoped the shiver she let travel down her spine didn't show.

"That would be great, we know from past experience how loud they can be, so being able to do it away from Hogwarts would be amazing." Harry said, "The second one we have is a sort of heirloom, so we were hoping that you found a different way to deal with them, considering this isn't the only heirloom that Voldemort made a horcrux." He finished.

"What kind of heirloom are we talking?" Amelia asked curiously.

"The lost Diadem of Ravenclaw." Hermione answered solemnly. "We also know that he made horcruxes out of Hufflepuffs Cup and Slytherins Locket." She added on.

Paling Amelia felt her heart rate pick up. "Three founder items? But how did he find them all? The Diadem was supposedly lost when Rowena's daughter stole it, and the cup like the locket was handed down thru their blood lines."

"Tom was crafty, he talked the Grey Lady into telling him where she hid the Diadem, conned Hepzibah Smith out of the cup and eventually killed her, and he is the last living member of the Gaunts, which is the end of Slytherins line." Harry explained.

"Merlin" was all that Amelia could say.

"Which reminds me, Sirius if you want, we could wait till the holidays and we could do a two for one deal, maybe that would give us some time to figure out how to rid the item of the horcrux without ruining the item itself." Hermione suggested.

"Sure, we could wait, I'm not in any hurry to do this again." Sirius said honestly while staring at the destroyed diary. "Is the third one in an easy to obtain spot?" he questioned.

"Sure is, in fact why don't you get it now while we speak, and then Amelia can store it in her safe spot." Harry said matter of factly. "It's at number twelve, just call for Kreacher, but before you do here's a tip; he helped steal the locket from Voldemort when your brother figured out his secret about the horcruxes. If you demand to take it from Kreacher he will fight you, if you ask him for the locket that Regulus gave him and promise to help him destroy it he won't give you much of a fight."

Sirius did as Harry suggested and called for Kreacher, together Kreacher and Sirius cried for the loss of his brother, Kreacher's favorite master. Sirius couldn't believe that his younger brother was a turn coat. He was so proud that he stood up against his Dark Lord. Together Sirius and Amelia vowed to clear Regulus' name after everything was said and done. He also couldn't believe the turn around in Kreacher, one moment he was calling him a blood traitor the next he was 'Master' and off to clean the house.

Amelia placed the locket in a containment box then placed it into the safe that only allowed her magical signature to remove it unless she passed, then in that event only Sirius would have access to it.

"Sirius, we have one more thing we need you to do sometime this week." Hermione said suddenly, the confused look on Harry's face let Sirius and Amelia know this was one of those light bulb moments.

"Okay pup, what else can I be of assistance for?" Sirius asked in a joking way.

"I need you to go to Gringotts and take over possession of the LeStrange vaults by means of only available family, get Narcissa involved if you have to. It will save us from having to break into Gringotts again." Hermione said while she was writing something down on a piece of parchment.

"BREAK INTO GRINGOTTS?!" Amelia yelled, thankful for the seclusion of the safe house.

"That's quite a long story, remind us to tell you about it someday." Harry said while laughing. "For now, let's just say that the cup is in Bellatrix's vault and as she and her husbands can no longer access it the vault would fall to her head of house since both LeStrange brothers are imprisoned for life. I found out afterwards that I had access to it when I acquired your vaults after the war." Harry said.

Of course, Sirius thought, it's all under the Black family contracts. "Sure thing Pup, I'll get Narcissa to access the Vault as she has signer rights to it currently, then we don't have to wait for the paperwork to go thru."

"Just be careful Sirius, the Goblins hate these things as much as we do, if I'm not mistaken it's classified as a level 5 contract violation" Amelia warned.

Sirius was shocked he forgot about that, at Gringotts they have 6 levels of violation, anything over a level 4 brings about freezing of assets; he would have to be careful about getting this thing out of the vault, how Bellatrix got it in there was beyond him.

"Did you ask them about horcruxes Sirius?" Hermione asked. "Perhaps they have a way to remove the tainted piece of magic from the container?"

"I haven't, Amelia was my first stop as she had the actual horcrux. When I told her of your idea for destruction everything kind of fell into place right away." Sirius said thinking about the options. "I'll go there right after I'm done here and see what I can find out."

"Perfect, then we could possibly take care of three horcruxes and save some founders items at the same time." Harry stated.

They finished up a few more questions that Amelia had for the twins and set a date and time to all meet up, twins included over the winter holidays. Sirius and Amelia broke into a new bottle of fire whiskey before Sirius left for Gringotts.

"I will get all the paperwork started for the transfer of Vault 103 Mr. Black, and your wish to have everything scanned for illegal and dark magic with a full list to be given to yourself." Griphook stated. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes please, I have a very special request to be made to have an elder present along with yourself for the discussion I'm hoping to have." Sirius stated, careful to not offend Griphook, you never want a pissed off Goblin as your account manager.

"Of course, Mr. Black, what would the meeting be about? I need know the basics so that I can place you on the schedule for one of our elders to be present." Griphook said as he prepared to call for an assistant.

"It's about a level 5 violation that we think will be in the Lestrange Vault, I don't want myself or my cousin associated with that. Also, I am hopeful that you would be able to help me dispatch the object, as the only way that we can figure out how to destroy it concerns basilisk venom impregnated into a goblin made kitchen knife." Sirius said still not able to control the involuntary shutter that ran down his spine.

Griphook froze, if the object they are concerned about requires a blade of that magnitude it limits what the object could be, given that he already specified it at a level 5 told Griphook everything that he needed to know. "Mr. Black, I find myself curious, why would you need help taking care of the object if you already have a tried and true method?"

"Well, that is the other reason I wanted an elder present, as we believe that the object is a founder's heirloom, making it quite rare and very valuable, our method destroys the container completely." Sirius said honestly, not realizing that his use of container told Griphook exactly what they were dealing with; and my word there were multiple of them.

"Mr. Black, I have a pretty good idea about what we were talking about and if what you are inquiring about does pertain to a horcrux or what I can only assume are multiple horcruxes, then we are past needing and elder and will have to go higher." Griphook stated, hoping he was wrong, "Am I correct in my hypothesis?" he asked with fingers crossed.

The shocked expression on Sirius' face didn't leave much hope for Griphook, this would have to be brought before Master Ragnok, the leader of the British Gringotts. Giving Sirius a moment to gather his thoughts, Griphook prepared the note he was going to send to his leader with an assistant, it had to be worded carefully so as not to alarm anyone.

"Sadly," Sirius began, "you are correct. There are multiple horcruxes that we have some knowledge of and would like to destroy them, preferably without harming the container." Sirius confirmed.

Griphook used the circle on his desk to contact his assistant to run and see if Master Ragnok would be available. "I am unable to confirm nor deny that we have that availability, Master Ragnok will know best, and can advise us once we can get a meeting with him. I have just sent my assistant off with the request."

Ragnok was in his office, waiting for the meeting with the Singapore branch of Gringotts to take place, the time difference made meetings difficult sometimes. He was currently getting a some paperwork done when a junior assistant knocked on his door, frustrated at the disturbance Ragnok was a little more brutal than he should have been with such a young goblin, that was until he noticed what the note contained.

Griphook was a knowledgeable account manager, and the clues that he left within the note would only be understood by a select few among them, and definitely not by this youngster. "Advise Master Griphook that I will see him and his client immediately." Ragnok instructed the young goblin.

Watching as the junior assistant booked out of his office at a fast clip, Ragnok took the time to apologize and send his regards to the Singapore office, and advised them he would have to reschedule, after that he sent word to have a master of dark artifacts come to his office; if he pieced together the clues properly he would be required.

A knock at his door let him know his guests had arrived, he welcomed them in and introduced himself to the wizard, in turn Griphook made the introductions for his client and got down to business.

"Sir, I am sorry to have disturbed you, but the objects we are dealing with are well beyond my authorization, and Mr. Black doesn't want himself or his family associated with it. He believes there to be a horcrux of Lord Voldemort's in the LeStrange vault, even more so he believes to know the where bouts of several others."

_My word there are more of them?_ Ragnok thought.

"Mr. Black here has found a way to destroy them, but due to the nature of the remaining ones he was hoping we would have a way to dispatch them without damaging the containers, as several of them are Hogwarts Founder heirlooms." Griphook finished reporting.

"So, Mr. Black, what is your method to destroy the horcrux?" Ragnok asked curious to hear the answer.

"My godson and his wife have discovered a few different ways, but most are hard to contain, the way we discovered worked best was to use a goblin made blade impregnated with basilisk venom and stab it. Now obviously these are extremely rare items, but as it turned out, my mother had a kitchen set of goblin made knives, and Madam Bones procured the basilisk venom. We have already destroyed one which was a diary, not nearly as priceless as the heirlooms." Sirius said while shivering, he didn't think that reaction would ever go away.

Ragnok noticed the shiver and understood, horcruxes were foul ways to keep one alive even if killed, you are literally storing a piece of your soul that you ripped in half in a container for safe keeping; the fact that the psychopath created multiple horcruxes was unheard of.

"How many are there?" Ragnok questioned.

"There is a total of six that we are aware of, and not sure if there is a seventh, as we believe that would be his ultimate aim with the last making it a magical number. However, one could argue that six plus his original piece would create seven." Sirius said truthfully, they didn't know if he made Nagini a horcrux already or if that too was by accident after he resurrected himself to keep the number the same.

"My god, do we know what the objects are?" Ragnok asked afraid to hear the answer.

"For the most part yes, we are, like Griphook asked, hoping that you have a better way of disposal that doesn't damage the container," Sirius paused, thinking if he should give out any more information, deciding it couldn't hurt anything he continued, "or host."

_Shite!_ Ragnok swore to himself, _please let it be an animal… please. _"Host? Animal or Human?" he asked having a bad sinking feeling begin in his gut.

"Human." Sirius said simply.

A knock on the door broke the silence that ensued after Sirius made that announcement. Ragnok called for the Dark Artifact Master to join them, hopefully he would carry some answers with him.

After catching Eargit up with everything they had just discussed, Eargit requested a meeting between the three of them present without Sirius involved, he did explain that this was not meant to seclude him, but that he had to get authorization to the idea's he was going to put forth.

Sirius understood, and didn't take the meeting to heart, he simply agreed and asked where he would be available to wait. Ragnok walked over to the wall and pushed a couple of runes, Sirius was then encompassed in a dome like ward, and was provided tea and biscuits while he waited.

"Master Ragnok, how would we like to proceed with these abominations?" Eargit got right to the heart of the matter. "We have a ritual to remove the piece of soul from the containers, the host can sometimes cause some problems, however it is nothing that we can't overcome."

Thinking, Ragnok weighed the pros and cons of letting the knowledge of this magnitude get out. Then he thought about who was all involved. Sirius was the heir of a wretched woman who Gringotts despised. Griphook made mention that they didn't advise her to remove him as heir when she struck him out of the family for this reason. He was always very polite and had one of the bigger vaults in their bank. Amelia Bones was also a trustworthy individual who the goblins respected as being a fair witch. Neither would willingly give out, nor would they want to, information on horcruxes, not to mention their destruction.

"I say we do this, not only does it help out one of our more respected clients, but we too would be in danger should the self-proclaimed Lord return." Ragnok put forth his suggestion.

Both Griphook and Eargit agreed to Ragnok's suggestion, Eargit did make an addendum to it though; he would want to know who all would know of the ritual that would be performed, therefore would want to know who the host is beforehand.

All agreed to this, and decided to give Sirius the option, either way he would not be punished for the horcrux should he remove it from the vault if he didn't agree to the terms given today. Removing the ward with a touch of a rune saw Sirius sit up to pay attention.

"Well Mr. Black, we would like to place our terms out for you to consider before we take a step forward." Ragnok waited for Sirius to nod before continuing, "We do know of a way to remove the bit of soul from its container, and even possibly from a host; we would however like to know who the host is before we agree to help with that particular horcrux as it takes a strong willed individual to undergo the ritual." He finished up.

Sirius understood the trust that was being given here and he was damned not to blow this. "I understand Master Ragnok, however it is not my secret to give, would you permit me to make a call on my watch to my godson to confirm this with him?" Sirius asked hoping he didn't offend the Leader of the Goblin nation.

"By all means Mr. Black, we wouldn't mind that in the least. Would you like some privacy to make the call?" Ragnok asked politely.

Sirius confirmed this request so was once again placed in a dome. Sirius took a second to make sure Harry wasn't in class then contacted him via the watch. After getting confirmation that he could in fact let the Goblins in the know about himself, Sirius touched the panel that Griphook showed him to remove the wards after dispelling his own wandless ones, they weren't very strong, but only a fool would raise a wand with the goblin leader present.

"Thank-you" Sirius started, "I have gotten the approval to move forward and advise you of everything pertaining to the horcruxes. You see, the host that we are speaking of happens to be my godson, Harry Potter."

Eargit about choked, "Well then, that does change things a bit. If I'm not mistaken Harry Potter is soul bonded to his wife Hermione am I correct?"

Not understanding why that would be a problem, nor the fact that this goblin even knew this, Sirius confirmed that it was in fact correct.

"In that case we would need both of them to come in for the ritual as she would be effected as well due to their bond." Eargit informed the group.

Getting that out of the way made Sirius' day, he could rid his godson of the horcrux inside his head, as well as all the rest of the items, and be able to present them back to the wizarding world. Understanding that the Goblin's would request payment for their cooperation, Sirius wanted to show how much he appreciated them helping.

"I understand that to the goblin race, goblin made objects, like knives belong to the creator, therefore belonging to the goblin race as a whole. I also know and understand that your services come with a fee, to which I will agree to no matter the price as I know you are always fair. I would like to gift you the kitchen knives, as well as the three I have impregnated with basilisk venom, as they would make awesome daggers." Sirius waited to see how his gift would be received.

Ragnok was impressed, Sirius did not disappoint with his knowledge and understanding of the goblin ways. To gift the knife set back to them, knowing and understanding that there would be a fee, it amazed him.

"Thank-you for your understanding Mr. Black, the gift was not necessary, but we will accept it in the nature it was given, we understand family is more important than anything." Ragnok stated.

Setting up a date and time for them to perform the ritual saw the horcrux removed from the LeStrange vault without paperwork being done, as they didn't want this to get out to any witches, wizards, or goblins alike. A replica would be put in its place as a precaution because of this.

Sirius sent a patronus off to Amelia to meet with him as he left the bank, already agreeing to the location beforehand.

Amelia got to the safe-house before Sirius, even walking into it made her shiver, she needed to get this under control. What would her aurors say seeing their boss get the willies walking into a safe house?

"Amelia, conjure up one of those boxes will ya, this thing is creeping me out." Sirius said while walking in the room levitating a golden cup at an arm's length away from himself.

Amelia secured and placed the cup in a different safe before returning to the main room and taking a seat across from Sirius who was pouring himself a heavy serving of fire whiskey.

"Would you mind if we called the kids, I only want to have to explain this one time." Sirius asked.

Amelia agreed, so Sirius pulled up his watch and expanded the picture once more, this time it was only Harry and Hermione in the frame as they sat on a couch. "Hello Padfoot, Amelia, the room is secure and we made sure that our portrait won't allow anyone to come up. What's the news?" Harry said all in one go.

Amelia was confused at first until she remembered they were married and would have their own quarters and with that they would have been assigned a portrait as a guard as was the Gryffindor way.

Other houses were so weird, Hufflepuff's only had to tap a barrel that concealed their common room, true they tapped a specific pattern but still she felt this was the most normal one out of the houses. She knew from friends that Ravenclaws had to answer a riddle, she would never be able to get into their dorm, and Gryffindors had the famous Fat Lady portrait who sometimes refused to accept the password in favor of singing; Slytherins seemed to be similar to Puffs where in you only had one password for the year that was set up by your head of house and a door would materialize in a bare stretch of wall, heaven help you if you ever forgot the location of the wall, she only knew this because of Cissy, otherwise they were pretty hush hush with their entrance.

"Well, the goblins have a ritual that allows them to remove the bit of soul from a vessel or host with ease, apparently it involves placing it into some sort of animal, they prefer pigs, and then kill said animal; with a pig they simply slaughter it and feast on it. I was advised that it would be slightly different to remove the soul fragment from you Harry as your bond with Hermione complicates things slightly." Sirius paused to answer a few questions they had.

"Overall we should be rid of five out of the six known horcruxes before Christmas." Sirius finished up.

"I know where the sixth horcrux is, I just don't know what it would take to get it. Dumbledore got cursed in the last time frame, and I don't wish that upon anyone." Harry said honestly. "Not even Dumbledore, with all the wrong he did, I wouldn't want that to happen again."

"We will figure it out pup, maybe we can get the goblins involved with that one too. They have masters in damn near every subject, Eargit, the goblin I met with today, was a master in Dark Arts." Sirius said hopefully.

"It couldn't hurt to ask. We might also consider asking Dumbledore for help with it, he figured it out last time, he just fell to the enchantments on it." Hermione said with a yawn.

Securing their plans and watching as Hermione penciled them in on what they now knew was her 'to do' list and calendar. Sirius bid the kids good night and promised to keep them informed with any updates.

"Well that's that" Sirius said to Amelia.

Amelia, figuring now is a better time than ever to bring up the watches, then proceeded to question Sirius like he was on trial. In the end she conned him into giving her one to stay in touch, it would only be linked to his and Harry's watch, but it was a start.

Sirius decided to make his escape and head for home, he had just had a very long day after all. And he still had to tell Mick and Jean everything that happened today. Shivering once more, Sirius cursed and thought better of it. _Maybe I'll tell them about it tomorrow? In fact, maybe I can get the kids to tell them._ With that Sirius spun on the spot and apparated back to his self-contained flat at the Granger residence.

"I'm telling you Albus, they are up to something!" Severus said irritably. "Longbottom has been getting better in potions and the only way they could help him out that much would require a cauldron set up, one they don't have."

"Settle down Severus, you should be happy that your student is getting tutored and in turn doing better in your class, it does after all reflect on you." Albus said while stroking his beard. He had gotten a number of complaints from both professors and students alike on his defense professor and it was giving him a headache. _I thought he would be better than this._

"Severus, what is your take on Professor Lockhart?" Albus asked curiously, knowing that Severus wouldn't mince words.

"He's a complete and udder joke of a professor. The imbecile is more concerned with his own appearance than his class. Did you know he gave a quiz on himself on the first day of class?" Snape spat while rolling his eyes.

Coming from the man who just complained that his student was doing well in class, Dumbledore had a little bit of a laugh at his potion's professor.

"Hm, it bears watching I suppose." Dumbledore said to no one in particular, the problem was that he had a hard time filling the role as potential candidates are now believing the position to be cursed.

Dismissing Severus, Dumbledore was just getting ready to start in on his paperwork when an owl delivered a letter from the Hogwarts Board of Governors, as he read the note a headache began at the base of his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, Dumbledore pushed aside his paperwork in favor of writing a response to the Board.

It seems a number of the students wrote a letter to Madame Longbottom about the capability of not only Professor Lockhart, but quite a few also showed distrust of his potion's professor, claiming prejudices to anyone who was not of Slytherin house particularly Gryffindors. They demand a meeting with himself in order to set up a time for someone to review the entire teaching quality at Hogwarts.

Sighing he set up a date and time to meet with the board and to see who they would appoint to review classes. _It seems this year is going to be one giant headache for me. _Albus was not aware that other things were brewing in the background that would give him a much bigger headache; at least a headache was a much better outcome than death.


	12. Chapter 12 - The Switch-up

Hey ya'll, sorry for the long wait again, this whole getting healthy thing really stinks! Anyway, thank-you guys for pointing out the whole Harry/Horcrux thing! I didn't notice that when I was writing and I've tried to be very careful about those things but stuff happens. I will fix it in the prior chapter to match the direction I want to go. He will remain a horcrux and will undergo the ritual, stick around because it's not necessarily going to go like other stories I've seen, I'm going to twist it around a bit more :) I was also asked to figure out a divider of sorts, however I chose to do the switches as the story continues to a different person, I would be okay with maybe putting an extra space in there but I hate the look, aesthetically, that the dividers provide. That being said, it is a suggestion never the less, what do you guys think? Should I figure out some sort of boarder? Put a bigger space? or keep going the way I have? Send me a message or leave a comment with your thoughts!

As always I own nothing, I do this purely for fun. How J.K. Rowling could come up with so much intricacy is amazing to me! See you next chapter!

Chapter 12.

Deloris finally found an opening, she overheard Madame Marchbanks talking to that blood traitor Longbottom about the meeting they were planning with Dumbledore concerning his defense professor. Obtaining that spot would give her one on one time with the boy wonder himself, as well as some potential insight on Dumbledore.

She knew what information her lackey's would want, the downfall of the destroyer of their master would come with a high price, in turn she could then use them to spread discord throughout the Wizengamot and have that nitwit Fudge kicked out of office, leaving the spot open for them to vote her in.

Yes, it was a good plan, she thought, I just need to get a way to get myself or someone in my trust into that position to hand over the boy who lived to the death eaters. She doubted Dumbledore or the board would assign her the position, they were part of the problem after all, allowing such filth to be educated at Hogwarts. But if not her, then who else could she send…

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good week, between the complaints he received from his teaching staff and students alike, the Board of Governors also complaining, and the pompous git show boating during meal times, Albus felt like kicking Gilderoy Lockhart out would solve all this bedlam; his only problem was who would he get to fill the position?

Albus walked into the meeting with the Board of Governors hoping to divert their attention for a bit longer if he promised to replace the dunce in a timely fashion.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, we were made aware of the letters that you were sent by a multitude of different students concerning the behavior and competence of your defense professor, would you say this is true and accurate?" Madame Marchbanks started the meeting.

"Yes" Albus answered honestly, "and I must say several of my teaching staff has also informed me of his incompetence. I am unfortunately in the unique position of trying to find a suitable replacement, but the pool of applicants doesn't leave much to be desired. I promise that I am working on it, and until the time that I can fully replace Mr. Lockhart I will have a senior staff member sit in on his classes to hopefully raise the standard of education given in his class."

The board agreed that it would be difficult to replace a professor on such short notice, as well as the candidacy of applicants available. Madame Marchbanks opened it up to the other eleven board members for suggestions.

Narcissa seeing an opening, put forth her two cents and addressed the group. "I have a suggestion I would like to offer up to the headmaster as a solution to his problem." She started.

"I understand that I am simply filling in this role for my now ex-husband, but as I have been accepted back into the Black family, I would overrule him on the board anyway, and rightfully take up the seat for the Blacks. I have a proper candidate for the position of defense if you are willing to hear me out." Narcissa put forth her opening line to the group.

Receiving the nod to continue by both the other governors and Dumbledore, Narcissa trudged on with her suggestion, "Remus Lupin holds a mastery in defense from Master Sheng in Japan. Master Sheng is highly regarded in his field and had accepted Remus as an apprentice knowing full well of his condition." She paused here to see if anyone was unfamiliar with Remus' furry little problem. Seeing no confusion she continued, "Seeing as he is also a graduate of Hogwarts, it would seem that the school already has precautions in place for his condition, not to mention he doesn't have a single occurrence in which he has ever placed anyone in harms way."

Albus confirmed that Remus did have options in place that would remove him from school grounds on the night of the full moon, and that he would have no problem offering the werewolf a position if he had the backing of the board. He also made sure that they knew he was an exemplary student during his time at Hogwarts and was even made a prefect during his tenure.

Amelia saw what Narcissa was attempting to do and put her backing behind her efforts. "I can confirm that Mr. Lupin has never had an incident in his entire time of being a werewolf, which if any of you don't know, he has been suffering from lycanthropy since the age of six, when he was bitten by Fenrir Greyback in response to his father's stand on his anti-werewolf propaganda."

All the Governors understood that was quite an accomplishment, and that he would be the perfect person for the post of defense due to his mastery and mentor, it would bring a much needed diversity of teaching to the staff.

"Before we put to vote if we agree with offering a werewolf a position as professor, can we know what precautions would be put in place for protection of the students during the full moon?" Mr. Bulstrode asked.

"Absolutely, it is my opinion that the children come first, and because of this I'm putting forth Mr. Lupin's name because I think he would be the best fit. The fact that he suffers from a condition that he had no say in the matter of, I would also like to sponsor his wolfsbane potion every month that he is employed with Hogwarts." Narcissa put together on a whim.

Everything she said was true, he didn't have a choice in becoming a werewolf, so why should that stop him from passing on his knowledge. She had more than enough money from Lucius alone to sponsor him for several years, if anything Sirius would definitely help her if needed.

"That is very kind of you Madam Black, but what about the off grounds provision and the off chance he misses this potion?" Mr. Bulstrode asked.

Amelia, wanting to avoid any negativity to Remus once again helped her friend out and decided to put forth some contribution herself, "Albus, where did Mr. Lupin go when he was a student? You stated he had off grounds accommodation?"

"Yes, he had an authorized way to get to the shrieking shack that I had under protection charms as well as monitoring charms to let me know if he was in distress." Albus replied.

"Well, we know that the shrieking shack is still there, we could update the protection charms, and I feel he would be capable now as an adult that he wouldn't need the monitoring charms in place for distress but perhaps someone to aid in the event of a bad batch of wolfsbane, I could provide an auror escort to the building and to remain with Mr. Lupin during his time, one who is experienced with werewolves, that way the public can know we are taking things seriously." Amelia offered, thinking to run it past Sirius to re-instate him as a private auror just for that detail.

"That would be acceptable, and I think from the parent's standpoint a good effort into showing both protection of their children along with understanding if any children with the illness want to attend accommodation would be available." Madam Longbottom stated matter of fact.

She always believed that it was rubbish that werewolves were condemned due to an illness they had no control over. She believed that the person should be tried not the animal, people like Remus Lupin were a prime example of the good he could bring to the society, unlike Fenrir Greyback who was still unaccounted for and a huge liability.

"Fenrir Greyback is still on the loose, and who's to say how many other children he has turned. Is it their fault some psychopath bit them? Having Mr. Lupin in place at Hogwarts will also give us the opportunity to reach out to those innocent victims and provide help, even if they don't want to come to Hogwarts, they can still reach out to someone who understands." Madame Longbottom finished up.

So, the board put it to vote and came up with a solution for Albus, one that he could fully back. He was hoping that they would be so preoccupied with the lycanthrope that they forget about Severus, as he didn't have an answer for him, nor could he cut him loose as he was an invaluable resource to him for when Voldemort would no doubt make his return.

The vote passed with only Mr. Bulstrode still against the werewolf being allowed to teach for the safety of the children, he in turn proposed a member of the Ministry should be put in place as a High Inquisitor, and defense professor. He didn't have any backing, and was shot down quick after recommending Deloris Umbridge for the position.

"Now onto our second matter" Madam Longbottom pushed forward. "Severus Snape has been reported to us by several students and parents. He is actively mistreating his role as a professor, not to mention his role as Head of Slytherin." She said with anger in her eyes.

"In fact, I am one of the parents that would like to officially lodge a complaint as my grandson is so badly picked on that he was having problems focusing in class in fear of 'breathing too loudly'." She said this as she glared at Albus.

"Thankfully his house mates pulled together and have been helping him out, but even still he reports that if he has a passable potion Professor Snape will allow the Slytherin's to sabotage it or he himself will dump it out saying that it is rubbish." At that she had to pause to steady herself.

During this pause Amelia took over, "I have an official document from St. Mungo's advising us to intervene as well, as over the years since Professor Snape has taken over they have seen a dramatic decrease in qualified students coming out of Hogwarts who are able to become healers, as an advanced potions class is necessary for apprenticeship."

"Not only that but those that do get into the advanced class show a far less aptitude for the base knowledge of potions than any other school they have accepted from. As it stands St. Mungo's newest recruits are primarily made up of students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and a few transplants from America's Ilvermorny." Mr. Abbott said as he produced a piece of parchment with the facts he just provided. "None from Hogwarts in the last two years. And only three students in the last ten."

Albus was shocked, he didn't realize that Severus was causing so much harm to the general public. He would have to figure out a way to keep Severus close but maybe not keep him as his Potion master.

"I was unaware of those details, and I apologize profusely, I haven't received but two or three letters about him over the course of his tenure from students or parents; those few that I have received I had taken with a grain of salt as the claims were not supported fully." Albus said truthfully.

"It is a tad understandable, however, given the seriousness of the situation we expect you to rein in your potions professor or terminate him." Madam Longbottom stated, she was aware of the proclivity of children to exaggerate so she could see how the claims could be overlooked.

The rest of the board agreed, and since there have been no official complaints from a number of parents like Lockhart had they would have to settle for those terms. Narcissa however wanted to give the children a little more so once more made her opinion known.

"May I add on a suggestion to this governed body?" Narcissa asked politely.

"You have had very good suggestions tonight Ms. Black, so by all means please share with us your insight." Albus stated, hoping that she would give him another winning solution to this headache.

"I happen to know of a world class potions master who would bring a great deal of insight into your school, she also has knowledge of what it takes to work as a healer with St. Mungos." She left the bait knowing that Conrad Bulstrode would make the connection, she was her sister after all.

"Are you suggesting having your sister Andromeda get involved?" Mr. Bulstrode predictably asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed, she is a master in potions, and I know she's recently been looking for a change of pace, I would recommend that she work with Severus and show him how to maybe present the work better." Narcissa started her argument.

"Besides, no one can deny that Severus is extraordinary at potions, it's his personality and classroom structure that lacks." She finished up knowing her friend would accept Andi and hopeful that she can keep him safe, out of all of Lucius' circle, she was rather fond of Severus, she did name him Godfather to Draco and knew he was a spy for Dumbledore.

She also knew that Severus showed favoritism and often times sabotaged students' potions out of preconceived hatred from his time in school. Yes, Andi would do a world of good for him, she was the biggest Hufflepuff that was ever sorted into Slytherin, she would make sure the children were taken care of and to top it off Severus and her were friends in school.

"So, we would bring Andromeda in as a consultant in the classroom and make sure things were kept fair, also to be the voice of reason for some of his less than desirable tendencies?" Albus wanted to make sure he was being clear on her role in his school.

"Correct, if needed I'm positive I could find a financial backer to support her role for the rest of the school year in order to hopefully correct the situation. It would also allow her to continue brewing for St. Mungo's as she could have her own potions lab at Hogwarts." Narcissa said to sweeten the pot.

"I think that is a fabulous idea, she can assist in the class and help the students that need it, as well as give us a fair report on what she thinks needs to happen." Madam Longbottom added.

Albus couldn't believe his luck, he came in unsure of the outcome and is leaving pleasantly surprised and is able to get rid of Lockhart with a solid replacement in tow. That was until Amelia threw him a curve ball.

"Albus, I hate to say it but I think it would do you a world of good to have someone come in and sit through all of your classes, I know the solids like Minerva, Filius, and Pomona are all great at their jobs, but we also want to make sure that nothing else is falling through the cracks like Severus did." Amelia said solemnly.

"If I'm to judge just from my time at school I would have to say that Professor Binns' class was by far the worst I have ever seen, and that was several decades ago." Madam Longbottom added on.

"It would be in Hogwarts best interest to know its weaknesses. I propose that we place an unbiased third-party candidate in to review all the courses. Someone who works at the ministry perhaps?" Suggested Mr. Bulstrode once more thinking he could have an in for Deloris.

"True, I think someone from the Ministry is a good idea as well, however I won't vote for Deloris, I'm sorry Conrad." Madam Longbottom argued.

"I think we need someone who went to a different school, someone who knows what differs from our education to the others. I suggest Kingsley Shacklebolt." Added Madam Longbottom.

Amelia gave a brief background of Shack and offered her support for the matter as he was a good choice, and she could spare him for a week to sit thru classes. It would also give her a inside account for how the students treat Harry and Hermione, perhaps she could give them information instead of always receiving it.

And so, the board voted once more, Mr. Bulstrode put forth Cassius Parkinson's name as he now knew no one cared for Deloris; Madame Longbottom put forth Kingsley. Given the differences, it wasn't a shock when Kingsley won. They wanted someone from a different school who was fair, and Kingsley fit the bill perfectly, although he is a British pure blood, his mother attended Beauxbatons and wanted him to follow in her footsteps. Parkinson though respected in the wizarding community, never really stood a chance.

After the meeting Narcissa immediately sent a patronus to Sirius to set up a meeting, she hoped that she judged the overall goal correctly, get Harry more help at school was pretty obvious and she thought she accomplished that quite nicely.

"So let me get this straight" Remus said while taking a seat, "you conned the school board into not only accepting a werewolf as a teacher, but offered to pay for my wolfsbane potion?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That is correct, I know that you have a mastery in defense, and Sirius made a point to let me know how good of a teacher you would be… I thought that was a subtle hint at getting you into a position to help Harry?" Narcissa now questioned herself.

Remus went from looking at Narcissa to staring Sirius down, "Sirius?"

Sirius couldn't believe that Cissy pulled it off, he of course wanted Remus in at Hogwarts, not only would it give Harry some much needed support, but it would also be good for Remus and he knew all this.

"Cissy, would you give me and Remus a moment please." Sirius asked as he led Remus into his room and placed a privacy ward up.

"Remus, you knew this was going to be the plan, I hope that you are acting right now?" Sirius asked.

"Good, then it was convincing." Replied Remus. Smiling to himself that he was able to fool Sirius too. In reality he was super excited for the post, when the kids told him of how they met, well he was hoping that things would align so he would be able to teach this go around too.

"It was brilliant how she played the board wasn't it, almost like she was a marauder" Sirius said with pride.

Remus just shook his head and dispelled Sirius's wards. Walking back out to her he stated "Thank-you Narcissa, I really appreciate the offer of wolfsbane but Sirius here didn't want you paying for it, he graciously accepts responsibility for my potion until I myself can pay for it."

"That won't work Remus, I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to deal with me taking care of you for a bit." Narcissa said while internally laughing at the expression on his face. "You see Ami had a completely different idea for Sirius, and not to mention that I kind of volunteered him to pay for Andi to be at the school in an advisory role."

No acting was needed between the two wizards, "What do you mean that Amelia had a different idea for me?" Sirius was almost concerned to ask.

"Call her yourself and ask, she really didn't tell me a whole lot, just to have you call her on that watch of yours." Narcissa said while heading to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and asking Remus if he would like one.

Sirius couldn't wait, he was rubbish at waiting to begin with, the moment that Narcissa left the room he was on his watch calling for Amelia Bones.

Amelia felt her wrist vibrate and started to chuckle; he never was one for patience, Narcissa probably wasn't even gone yet. The chuckle didn't leave her voice when she answered, "Hello Sirius, impatient as always I see."

"Of course, but what I lack for in patience I make up for in good looks." Sirius said his usual comeback from his youth which made Amelia laugh even more.

"Okay, I'll put you out of your misery, I want you to come back on the Auror force." She gave him a minute to stew on that then finished, "as a private auror of course, one of which I can use for the protection detail I promised the Board of Governors once a month during the full moon."

The smile that slowly spread across Sirius' face as he realized what Amelia and Cissy were able to pull off. McGonagall was going to have a conniption. "Thank-you." Was all Sirius could say the smile never leaving his face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Deloris screamed to no one in particular, glad that she placed the silencing charms around her office. She was reading the reports for Hogwarts staffing, hopeful at first that her plan had worked.

She had worked it out with Parkinson, he was going to talk Conrad Bulstrode into nominating him for the position of the Dark Arts, with him being an insider he would have full access to Harry Potter, and Deloris could come up with an accident that would be believable, she was currently thinking about using Dementors, and give the death eaters what they wanted. Parkinson was a well-respected businessman so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to have him as a defense professor.

Using Bulstrode was also an out for them both, as they planned to pin everything on him after the death of Harry Potter. But no, the dunderhead couldn't even do that right, now they had some mutated dog as a professor. If there was one thing Deloris hated more than muggleborns it was any kind of creature that thought it could pass as a human.

This could not continue, she had to figure out a plan of action, all her hard work would go down the drain if people discovered werewolves could integrate into normal life, and she wouldn't have those disgusting creatures allowed equal rights, if she did then before you know it the centaurs and goblins would be biting at the bit. It could end up with house elves rights or some nonsense like that.

_Maybe it was time to take Fudge out of the equation? I would be next in line for minister as his undersecretary, and then I could rig the election when it came time._

Her plan was falling into place, now all she needed was to decide what the accident would be and when it would happen. She also couldn't have it tied to her whatsoever.

There was a mass party on the night that the school found out 'Liar Lockhart', as the student population dubbed him, was kicked out of school. Every common room was in a current state of celebration, even the Slytherin's celebrated.

The following morning at breakfast the Headmaster had called for an assembly to welcome the new defense teacher as well as several other staffing changes. Harry and Hermione were purposely left in the dark in order for them to be surprised with the rest of the school.

"Thank-you all for getting out of bed on a Saturday after such a long night of partying." Albus said with a bit of a chuckle. "I would like to introduce a few changes to Hogwarts that came about due to my poor judgement with the previous defense position."

Albus figured he would own up to the issue after the meeting was over, it did no use lying to his students, they have been through enough.

"Firstly, I would like to introduce Professor Remus Lupin, he is a highly trained master of defense and we are proud to have acquired him." Remus stood up from his position at the table at Dumbledore's introduction. A huge round of clapping ensued as the new professor blushed slightly and sat down. All the houses could agree, anyone with a master of defense should be infinitely better than the dunderhead they just got rid of.

"Professor Lupin has asked me to address several things up front with you all, the first of which is his condition, you see Professor Lupin was attacked as a small child by Fenrir Greyback, and because of this he was forced into a double life, once a month he lives as a werewolf." A sudden gasp sounded off from around the great hall at Dumbledore's words.

"Secondly," He continued, "he would like me to inform you of the safety precautions we have in place. For the day leading up to and the day following the full moon Professor Lupin will be indisposed, taking care of his own health off the grounds of Hogwarts. He will have an assigned auror protection detail while off grounds who will ensure that he doesn't come into contact with any students should they go looking for trouble." With that he eyed several students at the Slytherin table.

"Because of this absence we will assign a substitute in his place, Mr. Sirius Black shall take the helm while his friend recovers. Mr. Black is a retired Auror who recently got reinstated as a private auror and knows a few things about dangerous dark creatures and artifacts. He will be with Professor Lupin all night during his transformation and then will provide classroom instruction the day before and after." Albus explained while Sirius stood up at the table as well to a round of applause, primarily led by the Weasley twins.

"Excellent, excellent, thank-you for making them feel so welcomed, now we have two more members of staff that will be joining us this year, Madam Andromeda Tonks, who is a potions master in her own right has come to oversee Professor Snape's classes in hopes of helping our students who wish to follow her footsteps into the healing world." Albus had to pause as three of the four tables burst out cheering as Andi stood up.

"Yes, yes thank-you, for that warm welcome, Mrs. Tonks is a seasoned healer and a potions master like I stated. She is also an alumnus of Hogwarts and if my memory serves me correctly a member of Slytherin house just like our Professor Snape." Albus added on making sure she would be included within all the houses.

"And finally, I have consented to have a Kingsley Shacklebolt over see every class taught here at Hogwarts in hopes of giving me a report to which we can make improvements, whether that be class sizes, time frames, or course material, either way we look forward to enhancing our curriculum here at Hogwarts." Albus finished up allowing Kingsley to stand and take a bow.

"Now please tuck in and enjoy your breakfast." Albus said after the clapping died down.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Hermione said while smacking Sirius on the arm.

"Yeah, who would have thought that Sirius Black would be allowed to teach at Hogwarts, I'm surprised McGonagall didn't up and quit on the spot, having you both back under her roof." Harry laughed out as he was being chased around the room by Sirius.

"It was a surprise for us too, we had originally agreed that Sirius be my security detail, however when they couldn't find anyone qualified to handle his position when gone we changed it up a bit." Remus informed as Sirius was now calming down in a chair, winded from running after Harry.

"So, who is your protection detail then?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, you'll love this!" Sirius said once more receiving a punch in the arm, this time from Moony. "They decided to set that particular detail with Andi's daughter, Nymphie!" Sirius said happily. "She'll provide security detail when I'm teaching classes, and hopefully will integrate well with Moony to eventually take over my night watch."

"Ohhhh, someone's going to get hexed if she ever hears you calling her that!" Hermione said looking at Sirius.

He just shrugged and moved along, "I think it was a stroke of genius, and we can all thank Narcissa who also insisted upon paying for Remus' wolfsbane potion, Dumbledore didn't want to mention that as he felt it would single Draco out in his house."

Harry agreed with the reasoning, it seemed that this time's Dumbledore was learning the art of trust. That may play into their favor when it came time to talk to him about the horcrux.

Harry was going to start questioning Sirius about their holiday plans when he spoke first, "Oh oh, incoming twins at six o'clock." Sirius said looking at the map on the table.

Just as he finished his sentence Fred and George came bounding up the steps into Harry and Hermione's quarters. Speaking in unison they asked, "Are we really going to be taught by our idols?"

Laughing at their awe, Hermione figured she would try her hand at the element of surprise. "Oh, didn't we tell you two, we have a portrait of Prongs at our house, when you both visit over the holidays you'll have met the complete set."

Hermione expected them to freeze like they have in the past, what she wasn't expecting was to be wrapped up in two pair of arms and hoisted into the air while the owners said arms were currently dancing at a different pace from each other.

Sirius could do nothing but laugh, the pure joy the twins got from meeting their 'idols' both pleased him and amazed him. _We have admirers for our work in pranks, my life is complete._

It was two weeks till the holidays and they were looking forward to actually going to defense class, Harry and Hermione both agreed to sit out the bogart round next year as who knows what their actual fears are now that they have lived this life once already. Remus also promised them different homework that would take the place of the stuff he gave to the regular classes; they would do this on parchment charmed to look like the essay he would assign.

Now all they had to do was make it to the holidays! Harry couldn't wait, he had something special in store for Hermione!


	13. Chapter 13 - The Manor

Hi all! Sorry about the long delay between chapters, I promise I still intend to finish the story... as I have a few other rattling around in my head as well. Long story short I switched jobs, killed my last computer and have been fighting off Covid. 2020 has been interesting to say the least. But I'm back with my new macbook and ready to start sharing again. I apologize for my writing as I'm not 100 percent better from covid yet but working on it. I loved all the messages I've received asking to finish the story and complimenting me on it, I know I'm not the best writer, so I thank everyone for reading and continuing to encourage me! Now like always I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, however horrible JK Rowling has been recently it's still her work, and with out it I wouldn't be here writing this. I would like to take this time to state that I do no agree with her views on certain people, places or events and hope you all enjoy the story. Thanks!

Chapter 13.

"Georgie my lad it really is a shame that all that planning went down the drain, it would have been hilarious to see what that pompous git would have done to save his image. Between all the potions and the Cornish Pixies it would have been a blast." Fred stated a little glumly.

"True Freddie, but just think, with Liar Lockhart gone we get to be in the presence of greatness, not to mention Hermione said we could come over the holidays to meet Prongs. Think of all the tutelage we would get from just hanging out with them!" George said with glee.

"Besides, I think we have already found our next victim anyway." Fred said thinking about Pansy making her _big play_ this morning at breakfast.

**Earlier that day**

Draco was sitting having his morning toast talking with Blaise about the upcoming quidditch match when suddenly Pansy was there trying to squeeze in between the two guys.

"Excuse me Blaise, I hear that you are wonderful in transfiguration and I was wondering if you could help me with homework, I'm stuck on question twelve." Pansy said while batting her eyelashes and running a finger up and down Blaise's arm, much to his displeasure.

"Actually, I'm rubbish in Transfiguration at the moment, so I'd look elsewhere for help considering the best person I know personally in Transfiguration is sitting beside me and he's about ready to chuff from the amount of perfume you're wearing." Blaise said with an undertone of humor while trying not to bust a gut watching her face turn different colors.

"Hey mate, you never told me we needed to learn the bubbleheaded charm to be mates with you!" Theo said while taking a seat on the other side of the table for breakfast.

Pansy got up in a huff and stormed off, ticked that her advances to make Draco jealous didn't work, just like the potion she finally managed to slip into his drink while he wasn't looking. What she didn't realize was just because Draco wasn't watching didn't mean that others weren't, and while Fred put away his wand, he felt the eyes of Harry Potter on him.

"A word gentleman, and if you could be so kind as to bring the cup, I know you switched with Draco's please." Harry asked while sending a message via his watch over to Draco to meet up in five in the back corner of the library.

Sending a quick '_I'm following up on something with Draco dear'_ to his wife and Harry and the twins left the great hall headed for the library.

As soon as everyone was around Harry threw up a notice me not and muffilato charm, before turning to Draco. "Okay Draco, spill it…"

Draco blushed he wasn't sure exactly what Potter was looking for but figured it had something to do with the _show_Pansy put on just now so he dived in headfirst, glad to have someone else to hear out his woes.

"Ever since I have dissolved the marriage contract between Pansy and I she has been trying to slip me different types of potions and has been coming up with crazier and crazier schemes to try and accomplish this." Draco said in a huff. "Oh and thanks to which ever one of you switched my drink today, I had already asked Blaise but he denied it, I figure it had to have been one of you two since Harry asked you here with him." He stated to the redheads.

Fred decided to come clean "You're welcome mate, she didn't have the prank look to her, more of a devilish delight, I have the cup here so we can see what she's up to if you would like. Figured you would figure it out when your pumpkin juice turned out to be water."

The twins pulled a vial from each of their coat pockets one was empty the other had a clear liquid in it. Fred pulled the stopper on the empty vial while George put 3 drops of the clear liquid into it. Then together they place a dropper full of the pumpkin juice into the vial and shook it up.

Draco didn't want to know why they had all this on hand, but figured it went hand in hand with pranking. After about a minute or so the liquid in the once empty vial turned a bright pink and George let out a whistle. "Woah, wasn't expecting that reaction that's for sure."

"Draco, it all seriousness, which should give you a clue since we are never serious, you need to bring this forward with the either Snape, McGonagall, or Dumbledore." Fred said while turning pale.

"We concocted this potion to indicate to us if a potion was used in our drinks, tricks of the trade for revenge seekers" George said while still holding the pink vial in his hand.

"We didn't want to miss anything so decided to make an all in one potion that way we wouldn't look suspicious testing our drinks five ways to Sunday ever meal. Different colors mean different potions." Fred said.

"Normally we would expect to see purple or blue heck even red from a few fan girls, but I didn't think we would see pink, at least while we were at school." George continued, this back and forth although normal for Harry, was causing Draco to get a headache.

"Not that I don't love watching other people have a hard time following you two for once, but could you get to the part where you tell us why we need to go to a teacher?" Harry spoke up noticing Draco's facial expressions get tight.

"Pink normally is an indication of multiple potions of the deadlier variety." Fred said while looking at his brother who was now adding an additional 3 drops to the vial and letting out a whistle as they instantly created a gradient effect.

"Let's see, lust potion, jealousy potion, love potion…" George stated while pointing out different colors before finally landing on a grey murky color at the top. "And what appears to be mind control like potion that we have never seen before, and our main reason for the pink color."

Draco paled significantly from his normal porcelain skin tone and gulped.

"At least we think its mind controlling, the grey color is very close but slightly different than what we would put in a prank potion to get everyone to dance the same dance…. Don't give us that look it was an idea that never came to fruition due to our scrupulous ethics policy" Fred said while staring Harry in the eyes.

"Yeah, we could never force anyone to do anything against their will, and that idea was coming to close to that." George said with the most serious face Harry had ever seen from them in either timeline.

Thinking everything thru Harry called up Sirius on his watch and asked for him to meet up with them in the library, being a somewhat kind of teacher now had its benefits Harry thought to himself.

Sirius agreed in the twin's deductions and complemented them on their potion stating that he would like to sit down with them over the holidays to talk about its uses in a broader sense of the word, fully intending to bring it up to Amelia. These two were constantly shocking him, almost as much as Harry and Hermione were.

Sirius headed off to see Minerva with Draco in tow, a sample of the pumpkin juice and the memory from Fred as Pansy put it in Draco's cup. What an odd turn of events the prankster being responsible and in turn helping a Malfoy.

**Back to present time**

"Freddie, I think I just came up with a plan, do you remember the muggle tale of Pinocchio that the village children were telling back home?" George said to his brother while projecting an image of Pansy's pug like nose growing each time she tried any sleight of hand work."

Fred just started laughing at the mental image already putting his thoughts to the required potion ingredients, they would have to make this carefully, as it was against the law for a student to make veritaserum, which they weren't trying to do but it would be a very fine grey line they are going to toe. Not to mention they had to make sure that whatever they made didn't have the overdose issues that veritaserum had. One thing was for sure though, if they pulled this off it would not only be hilarious but profitable as well.

Time seemed to fly by, the students of Hogwarts were now in the last week of classes before the holiday break. To say that Hogwarts did a complete turnaround would have been laughable before Narcissa's plan came in to play, however it was producing amazing results.

Kingsley Shacklebolt not only pointed out area's that needed vast improvements but also seemed to help those professors that were thought to have needed no help as well. Professor McGonagall found his suggestions for splitting the students up into groups of four extremely helpful, especially when you paired bright students like Harry, Hermione and Draco with students who might need more hands-on help that having a big class never would get. In the same sense Professor Flitwick enjoyed teaching the banishing charm in a dueling warded area, something the diminutive Professor was over familiar with being a dueling champion but didn't put two and two together for practicality in the classroom.

Andi was making inroads with Severus as well and the students could see a vast improvement in his teaching style. Severus himself felt guilty that his bias was in turn hurting the magical community, a thought put in his head by Andi that would ultimately change his bias he had against other houses than Slytherin. It also helped him to have a friend he could talk to who knew his status as spy, in total there were only three people alive who know his secret, Albus Dumbledore, Narcissa Black and Andromeda Tonks.

Andi in turn was immensely enjoying her time away from St. Mungo's. She always loved teaching and was getting to see her daughter more often now than she has in the last few years due to her Auror training.

Albus was sitting in his office thinking that he missed a bullet by a hair's width, with all the changes happening Hogwarts hasn't seen this much good publicity in a long while, and he was perfectly happy letting the magical community think it was something that he did. Little did Albus know that he was being made the pawn in a chess game where he saw himself as the king, untouchable.

The leaving feast was something rather special for Harry, as he never really left Hogwarts for the holidays even in the 'future', with the exception of heading to the burrow and the one time they went to number 12. Apparently, the timeline changed enough that the Weasley's weren't going to visit Charlie this year, meaning that Ron, Ginny, and the twins were heading home for the Holidays. Mrs. Weasley had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to make sure Harry knew he and Hermione were more than welcome at the Burrow and had requested that they get together for a meal to celebrate with everyone.

Harry and Hermione loved Mrs. Weasley's cooking and wouldn't pass up a chance to spend some wonderful family time with the family that they both grew to love in the last timeline. Sirius agreed and so they set a date for Boxing day to get together, making arrangements that the twins come and spend the weekend after Christmas with them as well.

Harry and Hermione said goodbye to Neville at the platform, they had already made plans for Neville to come and spend the last week of holiday with them and they couldn't wait already planning to take him out and show him Muggle London.

With their goodbyes finished Harry and Hermione walked thru the barrier and into the waiting arms of Jean Granger, Harry was sure he was going to love these next two weeks with his family, something he never would have thought in the past.

"Welcome back you two, I can't believe how much you've grown Harry!" Jean exclaimed as they walked to the car, Mick being absent as he was covering the practice today.

"Harry's been taking some replenishing potions since we've gotten back courtesy of Madame Pomfrey. I'm actually a little shocked at how much he's grown as well!" Hermione stated, once more cursing Dumbledore under her breath.

Madame Pomfrey had explained that Dumbledore upheld the policy that unless a student specifically asks for them, no 'enhancing' potions could be given for malnourished kids. A rule put in place a long time ago for the purebloods who, like Lucius, were fond of a stricter upbringing. Hermione was ready to spit tacks at finding that out, to Harry who has lived thru her S.P.E.W faze, he understood rules would be getting changed here shortly, not that he would object to them, child abuse was child abuse no matter if you were muggle, magical or otherwise.

Harry had grown roughly 3 inches in height in the short time he was away at Hogwarts, his shoulders had broadened out and he put on about a stone, making up for the scrawny look he 'woke up' to. Thinking it might be nice to gain a little muscle definition he thought about possibly starting an exercise routine. Hermione caught his thoughts and agreed. _'It might be nice not to be so winded while running away from deadly curses and snakes and such' _she mentally sent over to him.

_'I'm hoping we can avoid long arduous camping trips and fighting magically enhanced snakes this go around dear.'_Harry thought back. Hermione just smiled.

"Mum, do you think we could stop by Harrods once more on the way home, it seems my lovely husband here has decided to outgrow his wardrobe, plus I would like to look into some trackies as we are looking into getting a little more fit." Hermione said while reaching out for Harry's hand and they exited King's Cross.

Walking into the house, the laughing trio stopped dead in their tracks, the looks coming from the three men at the kitchen table made their stomachs drop. Something happened, Harry thought, and whatever it is it's not good.

Sirius started the conversation as soon as the kids and Jean sat down at the table. "It seems all our 'reforms' for a lack of better words, has drawn out a few death eaters to gather together to fight back."

Harry and Hermione were worried about this, they knew with every positive change they make comes the downward swing of the hammer. "What happened?" Hermione asked.

"Dementors." Remus said point blank.

"Someone had released three dementors in Crawley today, luckily Remus and I were home today as they swept through the front door and were dead set on getting Mick." Sirius said with a shiver.

"I didn't even see them, I just felt dead inside, like I'd never be happy again. The room itself was freezing, I swear it felt like a morgue." Mick said as he was once more handed a chunk of Honeydukes finest chocolate. Mick gave Remus a smile as he started in on the new piece.

"What are dementors again?" Jean asked. She knew the kids explained them once but so much has happened since that first night they brought their son home.

"Dementors are the creatures that guard Azkaban Prison. They are foul things that suck the soul out of you, essentially leaving you a vegetable." Sirius stated rather grimly.

"You mean Mick could have died?!" Jean all but yelled.

"Yes." Hermione said with steel in her voice as the lights started to flicker and her hair seemed to raise on its own.

Everyone magical could see and feel the amount of excess magic that Hermione was pouring out, heck the Grangers could feel the change in the room.

"Hermione?" Mick said staring at his daughter as she was slowly losing the battle trying to control her excess magic.

Harry took action right away, he needed to get her mind off of the dementors and her father, he reacted instantly and put himself between everyone else and his wife. He couldn't understand anything that was running thru her head as it was going a mile a minute, he could certainly feel her heartrate pick up and her breathing increase. Harry did the only thing he could think of and used one hand to cup her face while his other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in for a drugging kiss.

The kiss was enough of a distraction that Hermione was once again able to feel Harry's presence inside her head, she was slightly embarrassed at how easily she allowed her magic to take over. Harry feeling her embarrassment went to end the kiss but Hermione wasn't going to allow for that just yet. They have done nothing but held back their relationship while at school, thanks to their twelve to thirteen year old bodies, however Hermione needed this, their bond making it clear that physical contact was needed allowed them to hold hands at school; but this was almost like Harry was draining the excess magic away, not only that but it felt bloody wonderful to kiss her husband.

Mick and Jean were a little shocked that their little girl could produce such a reaction, it reminded them of her temper tantrums from when she was younger only magnified by a hundred. The parents wide eyed turned to Sirius and Remus who both had their wands out ready to shield if necessary. It was Remus who answered their questioning gaze.

"Hermione had an emotional spike so great that her magic got away from her, when kids are younger this kind of thing happens more frequently until they learn how to control their magic at Hogwarts, I'm assuming that with the bonding came a huge magical spike to their levels and Hermione and Harry are once more in that learning phase." Remus said all this while watching as Harry now had his forehead resting against Hermione's and they were communicating silently.

"Okay that explains the change in the feel of the room but not what you two are doing with your wands. Were you going to attack the children?" Mick asked a little defensively. He felt like he had the right to be defensive as he was still coming down from his brush with death.

"Oh no!" Sirius said quickly, "Just from that show alone Remus and I would have a hard time holding our own against Hermione, add to that attacking Hermione would instantly put you in Harry's doghouse and we would be made to look like dust."

"We were simply getting prepared to shield you two in case Hermione took the house down around us!" Remus said with awe in his voice still keeping an eye on the kids.

Hermione pulled away and apologized to her parents, "I'm sorry you guys, I was so angry that someone would attack you that I couldn't control myself, if it wasn't for Harry's perfectly timed snog session what Remus said would probably be true." The bright pink cheeks on her beautiful face reminded Harry of a flower, still adamant that she had nothing to be embarrassed about Harry went about to set the record straight.

"First of all, I would never allow Hermione to hurt any of you, my magic was already ramping up to protect all four of you. Secondly Mrs. Potter here feels embarrassed over her control when if she didn't ramp up so much faster than me, I would have been in the same predicament." Harry said with a huff as he stared down his wife.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. Sirius have you contacted Amelia?" Harry asked while still holding Hermione close.

"Yes, she's following some leads and informed me that she would stop by later this evening to report." Sirius stated, glad he was talked into giving her a watch, it made everything so much easier as far as communication goes.

"I also had Madam Pomfrey come over and check out Mick for any lingering effects from the dementors, he was given the all clear." Remus finished up the report.

"Good" Harry said, "Now let's get cracking on protection."

"Sirius could you apparate Harry and I to Gringotts, we need to speak with Bogrod." Hermione was already reaching for her beaded bag that she recreated from the future, she was going to use a backpack but figured a purse was more practical.

Walking into the bank saw Harry and Hermione met by Griphook, who just happened to be finishing up with one of the tellers when he spotted them… with the look on Sirius's face there would be no Mr. Black today. "How can I be of assistance today Lord Black?" Griphook also nodded to Harry and Hermione in way of greeting and extending the invitation to them as well addressing them as Lord and Lady Potter.

"We would like to speak with Bogrod please, and yourself if you aren't too busy, might as well get the best two account managers on the case." Harry said with a smile.

Griphook bowed deeply and then invited them to follow him to his office, grabbing an assistant on the way to go alert Master Bogrod to join them, whatever this trio needed they looked mighty serious.

Sitting down at a seating area in his office Griphook asked if they would like any refreshments while they wait on Bogrod, all three stating that tea would be wonderful had his had reaching out to the circular carving on his desk just as Bogrod walked in.

"I already know why you three are here so I started the ball rolling, I apologize for assuming however with this grave injustice I figured it would be better to start the proceedings right away." Bogrod stated finally able to get one up on the two Potters.

"We are actually working with Amelia to help track who would put a hit on your parents heads." Bogrod finished to a surprised Griphook and audience.

It was a red-letter day when the ministry asks for help from the goblins, even more so coming from the head of a department like Law Enforcement. Normally the goblins would have to go thru the Department of Magical Creatures, what a joke.

"Amelia should be here shortly as I have alerted her to your presence here so that we may give a full report of our findings. Amelia did advise however that she is joining her force in arresting the two suspects that we currently have." Bogrod stated with what could only be described as a smile on his face.

_'Wow, they not only have a suspect but two! And they are already in route to pick them up, maybe we did come back for a reason!' _Harry thought over to his wife. Hermione just smiled back and nodded.

"Thank-you Master Bogrod, could you give us the details while we wait for Madam Bones or shall we discuss the security that we wish to place on our home?" Hermione asked politely.

Looking a little crestfallen Bogrod replied, "I wish to speak of your families protection as that is paramount right now, and sadly due to the secrecy statue we can't put too many wards on a muggle home, or at least the kind that we would want to put onto your home."

Griphook picked up what Bogrod was saying and let the kids in on the reasons, "We would be able to place basic wards like fire protection and burglary, however to keep those that wish you harm and the like it's not possible due to the closeness of your neighbors and the muggle neighborhood you live in."

Hermione could understand the reasonings, but just because she understood didn't mean that she liked them. _'What a bunch of tosh, basically they don't want muggleborns to have the same protections that purebloods have. You can't tell me that wards to keep out those that harm you would be noticed by the muggles, we have tons of notice me not charms all over London, and your parents lived in Godrics Hollow under the Fidelis charm!' _Hermione thought over to Harry.

_'Yes dear, but remember Godrics Hollow was a mixed community, and most of the muggles that lived there knew about magic or were squibs, it's not really the same as your neighborhood. On top of that I think the Johnston's would know if suddenly your house disappeared. It makes sense, yes it makes it harder for muggleborns, but we will have to add that to our list for the future.' _Harry thought over while placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"What are our options Bogrod?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Well, my immediate suggestion would be to move yourself and the Grangers someplace safe for the time being until we make sure and get everyone involved in this. I would recommend an old family ancestral home." Bogrod said.

"NO! Absolutely not! I am not bringing my muggle parents into Number 12! No offense Sirius but your Mothers painting is a piece of work!" Hermione stated with such ferocity that the teacups rattled.

"Calm down Mrs. Potter, we are working on Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and the painting of that wretched woman, again no offence Lord Black." Griphook said worried that he might offend his client.

"No worries Griphook, you both said it right she was a wretched piece of work!" Sirius made sure that no one had any doubts on his convictions by the raw emotion in his voice as he asked, "I'm assuming you both are speaking of Potter Manor?"

Fond memories from his childhood flooded him as he thought of the only people, he considered his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were amazing people. Fleamont was one of the funniest people Sirius had ever met while Euphemia was the sweetest, warmest, most loving person he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. They instantly took him in and proclaimed him their son.

Bogrod speaking pulled Sirius back to the present, "Yes, we have kept up with the maintenance of the manor, and all other properties the Potters own. The elves informed us that everything is ready and that they would have no problem popping the Grangers back and forth from the Manor to Crawley for work. That way appearances will still be maintained while protection is at the highest level we could attain."

Harry was shocked, he knew he owned multiple estates and houses throughout the world but forgot that he had a family ancestral home.

"Harry there are portraits that have been asking about you at the manor as well, you might be interested to know that you can speak with your Grandparents as well as your parents there. The portrait of your parents that you currently have was duplicated so they can travel back and forth between the paintings." Bogrod said while looking over the report the elves had given him.

Hermione not one to miss small details inquired about something brought up earlier, "You said that this Manor is safe, what protections are available there?"

"Potter Manor has all the protections, some that even number 12 doesn't have, and the blood wards are slightly stronger given the intent behind them. It is also unplotable and has elfish wards surrounding it to boot." Bogrod stated rather matter of fact like.

"Sorry for prying, but why didn't Harry's mum and dad just stay there then? It would make much more sense than Godrics Hollow." Hermione once more had her lip caught between her teeth, probably the only thing that kept Harry from blowing up like she did at the house as he looked toward Sirius for an answer.

"I'm not sure guys, all I know is that they had chosen Godrics Hollow and that it was supposed to be the safest place for them, James said that he was hiding in plain sight." Sirius said with a shrug.

"Actually, Gringotts recommended against staying there due to the wards, but the Potters listened to Dumbledore as he promised the Fidelis Charm would protect them from Voldemort." Bogrod stated angerly.

Sirius was shocked, he didn't think James would put that much trust into Dumbledore, they were already doubting him back then, he always seemed a little suspicious to Sirius. Nothing could prepare him for the words coming from Harry though,

"Master Bogrod, I appreciate your information and would respectfully request that you look into anything my parents had to do with Dumbledore pertaining to any wealth or finances." Harry had a bad feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to like what they find but needed to know if the old goat was syphoning off funds to support his image.

Sirius could see that going south for Dumbledore in a hurry, thankfully the Blacks would have nothing to do with Dumbledore so he wouldn't have to do any paperwork to follow up on his side, he was actually surprised the future him allowed Dumbledore to use Grimmauld Place as the headquarters for the Order…. Very suspicious.

"Back to my parents please" Hermione requested. "They would be able to get back and forth but who's to say they wouldn't find out where they work?"

"The elves!" Harry said rather joyfully. "They can remain invisible and would be faster and more discreet than a portkey, they can also get thru anti-appiration and anti-portkey wards if put up."

"Do we have enough elves to spare two?" Hermione asked to a laughing Bogrod and Griphook.

"Mrs. Potter, as your title states you are the Matriarch of the Potters and with that comes the Elvin village that resides on the land at Potter Manor, you have the largest colony of house elves in Britain and they are not only wonderfully taken care of but happy to be Potter elves. They would jump in front of a curse to protect their family." Bogrod said to a shocked Hermione.

"Well okay then, I think that should cover everything, Dobby will be our personal elf, and will help us get situated." Hermione stated just as Amelia Bones was shown into the office.

"Thank-you all for waiting for me, I apologize I wanted to tie up any loose ends while I could get the jump on them. Bogrod… Griphook… there were four in total, three of which will require your assistance if you still wish to help." Amelia said while taking a seat next to Sirius.

"I have yet to discuss anything about the attack with the Potters or Lord Black. We were shoring up their safety concerns first." Bogrod stated.

"I see" Amelia said while turning to face the Potters in full Department-head mode. "Earlier today three dementors were released from Azkaban in order to track down who they believed were 'convicts'. We have since traced back those three to Delores Umbridge."

Harry paled at her words as Hermione cursed under her breath, Amelia continued her report, "She was not working alone however, Gringotts helped us track money that was exchanged for information within the department, we discovered Gregory Pucey, Edmund Parkinson, and Conrad Bulstrode were all in on the plan, however Bulstrode is not a marked death eater and was basically coerced into participating."

"WHAT!" Sirius yelled. "I hope we have some options here Ami, as Parkinson is already on my shit list for attempted rape, mind altering potions and heavy love potions that his daughter tried to administer to Draco Malfoy, a ward under the care of the House of Black."

Amelia knew that Sirius was going after Parkinson, so was not surprised at his outburst. "We have them all locked up right now, Gringotts agreed to freeze their vaults, the Ministry is pushing for Attempted Murder charges to be brought upon Umbridge and Pucey, Parkinson is looking at heavy fines for his daughters involvement with the Malfoy head, as well as being an accomplice to attempted murder. Bulstrode is looking at heavy fines from the Ministry for aiding by attempting to get Umbridge or Parkinson into Hogwarts, which we found out from them was in order to kill Mr. Potter." Amelia finished never being more grateful for the board of Hogwarts making the smart decision to place all of Cissy's suggestions into place.

"Because he didn't have a bigger role than that we can't really put him as an accomplice to attempted murder as he didn't know that's what their ultimate aim was, he was just a pawn." Amelia said making sure that the Potters knew she was throwing anything that could stick to everyone involved.

"Thank-you Amelia, I appreciate everything the Ministry has done for me tonight. I would be more than happy to back yourself, and I suppose Fudge by showing my support at the trial if needed." Harry said, even though the thought of using his fame for publicity made him sick, this was truly a '_greater good' _situation.

Amelia thanked the Potters then headed out to get started making a case against the idiots who went up against the Potters, Delores won't be getting herself out of this one.

The Potters finished up the last of the paperwork to get a few last-minute security devices and then called for Dobby to bring them home, figuring a practical demonstration of his abilities will go far in convincing the Doctor Granger to move to Potter Manor.

Popping into the living room saw a shriek come from Jean Granger no doubt still quite on edge from all the commotion today has brought. She stood quickly to hug the children, glad to see they were okay from their trip to the bank. "So, what's the word?" She asked guardedly.

Sirius collected Remus and explained that he would give him the run through on the way to their flat… they needed to pack after all, they were headed home. Sirius realized at the bank that all his memories of Potter Manor went away when his brother died, until Harry reintroduced him to the manor, he would not remember anything about it. Sure, he'd remember the events like Christmas and how his room looked but he couldn't remember where Potter Manor was located or even what the outside of the manor looked like. A tricky bit of ingenious magic that Fleamont added in his youth. To say he was giddy would be an understatement.

"Pack? We are leaving. Are things really that bad?" Jean said in a hurry, very concerned for the safety of her family.

Hermione knew that her mother would work herself up into a tizzy thinking about their safety, maybe this would be easier than they thought to convince them to essentially move in with them. "Mum it's not that we aren't safe, it's just that we could have the possibility of being even safer. The wards we are going to be placing on this house are good for protecting against fires, burglary and destruction, however the type of wards at the place we are going to no one will be able to harm anyone, in fact they wouldn't be able to even find us!"

Jean's mind then went to their practice and clients, "Where would we be moving to? Would we be able to still work? And if we were able to work how would we be protected at the office?" she rattled off in rapid succession.

Harry figured this was his time to explain, "Jean, we are going to be going to my family's ancestral home in Scotland, Potter Manor. We have worked out that you might want to continue working so have put in place several protections that would be undetectable to non-magic people, I.E. your clients." Harry said this while calling for Dobby once more.

"Dobby here is our personal elf, however the Potters have several hundred elves that take care of our many properties and are loaned out to various places, like Hogwarts. They have their own magic and can ensure that they watch over you while remaining unseen. We would assign an elf to each of you allowing you transport from Scotland to here and then they would be with you throughout the day. You would essentially be driving in like normal, so no one would know the difference." Harry then thought of one other thing.

"They could even help tidy up at the clinic if you so wished as their favorite thing in the world is helping their family, and with you as my in-laws they already consider you family." Harry then took the case that Dobby handed him and passed out the contents.

Mick and Jean opened up one of the two cases that Harry handed them, the first box contained a watch, a stunning gold watch for Mick and a lovely rose gold band for Jean. Next they opened a ring box each and noticed a very plain thin silver band, Harry instructed the to place them on their ring finger of their right hand as they did the band resized to fit perfectly.

"Those watches are just like the ones we have, Sirius worked some serious magic to get them done faster than we could have thought possible. They each have a crystal in them that takes in ambient magic from around you to power the watch and make it work like ours." The Grangers were now looking at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, Harry just chuckled and continued.

"Since you will either be around our elves or someone magical almost at all times it should never run out of enough magic to continue running like normal, especially since Hermione and I poured enough magic into them to start them up to last several months." At this Hermione blushed, she still wasn't used to being so powerful.

"Mum, the ring you both got is a multifaceted piece of work. You might not have felt it but a small pin prick happened when the ring resized taking in a small sample of your blood to allow you to pass thru the wards at Potter Manor, because of this you will not be allowed to take them off, not that they would let you." Hermione said to her parents awestruck faces.

"I know it's a lot to ask but to anyone besides those of us who know those rings won't be able to be seen. They are charmed to feel like air and resize naturally with your finger. Not only do they allow you passage into Potter Manor but they also act as a portkey in the events that something were to happen to you all you would have to do is say 'Snozzberries' and it will take you straight into a secure room in Potter Manor. Anyone who is touching you will also be brought in, however, the moment you land anyone not recognized by the wards would be stunned." Harry finished.

Mick was amazed, he supposed the kids picked 'snozzberries' in reference to one of his favorite movies, Charlie and the Chocolate factory. He would never forget it now that it was said and it's unlikely that it would come up in everyday conversation.

Hermione continued while her father pondered on things. "Now besides being a portkey and essentially a key to our home there is one other function that those rings do as well." At this Hermione now had both of their attentions, how could something so small do so much?

"Those rings also have every protection charm imaginable on them, no dementor would be able to get within ten feet of you, and any curse short of the unforgivable thrown your way will be greatly reduced in strength if not block them completely." Hermione was extremely happy with that little piece of magic, so much so that she had the goblins add it to their wedding bands that they inherited from Harry's parents.

"Harry have you seen this home yet? How do we know it's inhabitable, it has been almost 13 years since anyone's lived in it?" Mick asked.

"The elves have looked after it for us, they actually have a colony on our land and the wards are the strongest the goblins have seen." Harry said proudly. "In fact, they have looked after all our properties, we have a book of houses and properties that we own, if we maybe want to take a nice holiday over the summer break."

That had the Grangers won, they all packed a bag as they had already had vacation from work for the two weeks of Holiday anyway, and literally popped over to Scotland.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Ritual

Hi all! I'm going to keep this AN short and sweet as I'm currently halfway thru the next chapter and on a roll. As always I own nothing of JK's work, just throwing my own spin on her characters. I hope you enjoy!

\- Jwall

Chapter 14.

The manor was just that, a manor, it was huge! It hosted 15 bedrooms each with their own ensuite, a fully decked out library, and ballroom to name just a few. It was also richly decorated but yet very homey, it felt like the Gryffindor common rooms to be honest, which wasn't that surprising considering the Potters are descendants of the Gryffindors.

Once everyone arrived, they split up to find their rooms, each had an elf leading the way. Dobby had just shown Harry and Hermione to the master bedroom when Harry realized that the elves haven't changed a thing since his parents' departure, there were little bits of them everywhere. Lily's hair tie collection on her bedside table, James's spare glasses on his side, even their clothes were neatly folded and placed in boxes on the side of the beautifully carved armoire. Raising an eyebrow Harry turned towards Dobby for an explanation.

"Dobby didn't think you wanted to get rid of your parents stuffs Master Harry sir," Dobby started, "we's wanted to make room for yous stuff but we also didn't know what to do with theirs." He finished sadly.

With a tear in his eye Harry walked over and picked up his dad's glasses while smiling at Dobby. "You know Dobby, you are one brilliant elf, thank-you."

Hermione suggested that they place the boxes in a spare room to go thru later, she might even adopt a few pieces of Lily's clothing as they will eventually be roughly the same size, she could always resize as needed. Harry decided to keep his dad's glasses and mom's hair ties out and placed them in a spot of honor on their dresser.

The elves had everything unpacked and beds turned down as everyone got into pj's and decided to meet up in the living room for a short family meeting, it seems that the Holidays have changed slightly. Once everyone was seated Dobby arrived with cups of hot chocolate for everyone. Sirius was abnormally quiet while he ran thru happy memories in this very spot, sleep overs with the marauders, getting "the talk" from Euphemia, Fleamont gifting him his pocket watch which he still had.

Remus too was lost in his own memories while he sat and stared at the fireplace with tears tracking down his cheeks, a small smile lifting his lips.

"You two look like you've just arrived home after a very long, gruesome day. Are you both okay?" Jean asked, not wanting to interrupt their memories but also wanting to make sure the men who she was starting to think of as family were okay.

"We are fine Jean, really, we are just caught up in memories of this place. Those are stories for later though, right now we need to get things squared away." Remus said while looking towards Harry and Hermione.

"Right, now that we are all safe let's go over what needs to change for our holidays." Harry started off.

Hermione followed right behind and asked Sirius the plans for her and Harry at Gringotts. "We never got to speak with Bogrod about the procedure Harry needs to go thru to get the horcrux out of his head for good."

"Righto, okay pups, so tomorrow I will bring both of you to Gringotts to undergo the ritual to remove that nasty piece of yuck. The goblins advised to wear loose fitting clothes that you don't mind throwing away." Sirius started.

"Right after they dispose of the one in your head they will handle the locket, the cup and the diadem. After that the only one left would be the ring." Sirius still couldn't contain his shivers thinking about the horcruxes.

Thinking that it might be beneficial to get rid of all the horcruxes in one go, Harry very much wanted to rush out and get the last one, but the truth of the matter is that he just didn't know what traps lay around that fabled ring, making obtaining it too great of a risk.

"Do we even know what will become of Voldemort when all the horcruxes are gone?" Hermione asked following up with a thought Harry was having.

"I did ask" Sirius said rather demurely. "No one really knows, as Voldemort was the first known person to make more than one." Sirius once more shivered.

"When a person makes a horcrux they are essentially cutting their soul in half and storing one part in a container and the other with them so when they pass they are tethered to the earth by the remaining half of their soul, they become a wraith like creature that doesn't necessarily need the horcrux to recreate a body." Sirius looked to Remus to finish so he could take a breather.

"The reason the wraith wouldn't need the horcrux is they have enough of their soul and essentially magic left to go about other means. Voldemort on the other hand kept splitting that remainder of soul, diluting himself and essentially any horcrux made after the first one." Remus loved teaching, however there was never a moment he would want to teach anyone about horcruxes after this, they just simply creeped him out.

"We can tell with fair certainty that the diary would have been the strongest horcrux as it was most likely his first, made while still in Hogwarts, afterwards would all just be speculation. We are completely guessing here, but we think his wraith is losing power as we kill all of the anchors." Remus said as he nodded back to Sirius to finish up the lesson.

"It would be a fair assumption that Voldemort would die after we destroy the last horcrux, however the goblins have a theory as well and it pertains to his followers. You see they believe that Voldemort might also be getting life sustaining properties from his tie to his death eaters." Once more Sirius shivered and looked towards the group to see if they had any questions.

"The dark mark?" Hermione asked right before sucking in her bottom lip and holding it hostage between her teeth while twirling a piece of hair around her index finger. "I wonder if there is a way to be able to tell if Riddle dies after we are done with the horcruxes… do you think something would happen to his followers?" The questions were piling up in Hermione's head as she asked.

Harry was busy thinking about the prior timeline, he knew that Draco Malfoy was still alive after the fall of Voldemort so the thought of the followers dying was out, he said as much out loud to the group. No one really asked or cared about their dark marks much to notice if they faded or disappeared completely. Thinking about the death eaters made Harry think of another loose end they needed to tie up.

"After everything tomorrow, I would like to invite Amelia over, I'm not sure if Barty made his great escape yet but we need to let her know about him either way." Harry stated while Hermione took out the ever growing to do list to add Barty Crouch Jr. to it, she couldn't believe she forgot about him.

"Enough about all the to do lists and changing times, we will have a full overview tomorrow after we know where Harry stands with the horcrux. Let's get some sleep and then we can discuss the changing holiday plans over breakfast." Jean said to sleepy eyes.

With that the group headed off to bed, extremely tired from a very long day, it was just after two in the morning.

Delores Umbridge was sitting in a cell cursing the name Harry Potter to the ends of the earth, she didn't understand how he could be ahead of her at every turn. She wasn't worried about the trial coming up, her own peers wouldn't force a member of the Wizengamot to drink veritaserum against their will, that was one of the reasons she conned her way into the governing body. Everyone knew the Selwyn family, and that they were descended from Salazar Slytherin himself, what they didn't know was that the family died out many years before Delores was even born. A few well-placed memory charms and no one ever suspected a thing. Truth of the matter was that Delores, claiming her blood as pure as Lucius Malfoys, didn't know who her father was, she could be a half blood for all she knew which is why she made up the Selwyn family ties.

It was quite easy in fact, which is how she planned to get out of the charges put against her. She considered herself the best conwoman in the magical world, even better than Mundungus Fletcher who she ironically was actually related to distantly. After she got out of this hell hole she would have to tread carefully, it gets harder to con people when you are constantly up to bat defending yourself.

Smiling Delores got to work thinking up her next plans, she would have to be sneaky, she also decided Potter wasn't worth going after until after she had the power needed to smash him into smithereens. Yes, she would need to be minister first, Fudge, he would be her next target.

Delores would faint if she knew what was happening at that very moment, history was being made up in the Chamber that would affect the way Delores' outcome would be.

"Mister Parkinson, you are here on more than just your recent counts of crime against the wizarding world, which is why we decided to start with you." Taking a deep breath Amelia started in on what was going to be known as the trial of the century. "Known death eater ties that were swept under the rug after your plea of the imperious curse, conspiring with other known death eaters once more this time against Harry Potter, sending a curse like potion to your daughter to go after Draco Malfoy, the new head of the Malfoy family, and now ties to a case in which you have sent not one but three dementors into a muggle neighborhood to go after a 'fake' criminal and almost resulted in the death of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Harry Potters new in laws, both of which are under the protection of House Potter." Amelia said all these charges thru gritted teeth. "How do you plead?"

Edmund was sweating bullets, he knew he would be busted for conspiring with other known death eaters but planned to come up with some cock and bull story to explain that away, how the hell did she have the dirt on the other charges?! After Lucius' trial there was no way to protect from the 'I was under the imperious' plea, not after he told everyone he took the mark willingly, they would require veritaserum to prove that alone, not to mention that potion he sent Pansy would be as if you applied that curse to anyone who drank it.

"Madam Bones, I am appalled that you think so lowly of me! Have I not given multiple donations to St. Mungo's on behalf of finding a cure for the Longbottom's? Have I not served justly on this very governing body to help bring Pettigrew and Malfoy to their knees and vote to have charges against them?" Edmund was really pulling at straws by this point, he did both of those things by means of survival, but as they were intended to do, they painted himself in good light.

"I feel ashamed that you would think I could be involved with such plots willingly. You see, it was all in relation to that Umbridge woman, she is the whole reason I find myself in this position that I am in today." Taking a deep breath Edmund fought for his life.

"She conned me into helping her with the dementors, threatening the life of my wife and child. She told me that she could make people go missing and no one would go looking for them. She gave examples, like Emil Price." Edmund of course knew what happened to Emil, and Delores had nothing to do with it, he actually doubted whether she even knew who he was, but no one besides himself and Pettigrew knew what happed and Pettigrew wasn't going to be talking now that he was dead. Just another reason to pass that verdict against him.

"As for the potion, it was a simple love potion I bought from an owl post magazine, it wasn't supposed to even work but I wanted to give Pansy every chance to be protected, and if she was still betrothed to the Malfoy boy she would be protected from anything that Umbridge could do." He thew in some fake tears here to make it seem more realistic, no need to know that he brewed that potion himself and wanted to use it to gain control of the Malfoy gold.

"So, to answer your initial question Madam Bones, I plea not guilty." Edmund thought he had the case won, he could see he made lead way with the group, several members were looking shocked by all his plausible explanations, which is exactly what he needed.

"Very well Mister Parkinson, I will notate your plea and your explanation of events." Edmund smiled at her words.

"We will verify these facts via veritaserum, you have already been given the flushing potion in your cell, I have a documented proof from the St. Mungo's employee who administered it." Amelia watched as the color drained from his face, she didn't want him to put up too much of a fight in the chamber so had the medical professional dressed in auror recruit robes. "That same healer is here now to apply the three drops of veritaserum so that we can verify that everything you stated is the truth."

"I have the right to forego the option of taking veritaserum as I am a Wizengamot member! My word should be held as truth by my peers." Edmund tried to sound unperturbed, but it came across more as frightened.

"You are misinformed Edmund, as just before this trial we held a meeting to discuss such things, we have come to an agreement that in cases with such severity as this, we, as members of society would face the same rulings and regulations as normal citizens would. I found it complete and udder madness that just because one was on a board that passed rules meant that they were above them, Lucius Malfoy being a prime example of this." The evil gleam in her eyes caught Edmund off guard.

"We have stipulated that past events wouldn't be cause for testifying now in the present but that each member would start off on a clean slate. Any cause afterwards would be up to that person as if you give cause to examine the past we will." Amelia thought this was brilliant, Hermione was one of a kind and would have a very positive influence on this governed body when she was older and ready to take up the mantle.

By giving members with past discrepancies an out, made the motion easier to pass, it also ensured that anyone who planned to try something against them now, thought twice, because if they were caught in the act then previous crimes could be brought back up and revisited under truth serum. She really didn't understand the whole 'Wizengamot members equal no veritaserum' ruling. She knew it was most likely put in place by death eaters to protect death eaters but was appalled none the less by it.

Harry and Hermione had given her information on every death eater they knew, and even a list of some people to watch more closely, she couldn't believe how deep the deception ran. Edmund screaming obscenities drew her out of her contemplation, the once sympathetic faces of the other members have now morphed into ones of shock that such a display would be coming from one of their esteemed members.

After a few minutes of waiting to let the potion take hold Amelia started out with the normal questions to determine that it was working, then started to use Edmunds lies against him.

"Mister Parkinson, you stated that Delores Umbridge threatened harm to your wife and child, is that correct?" Amelia asked.

"No." was the one-word dull emotionless answer coming from his mouth.

"How did Delores Umbridge get rid of Emil Price?" this question Amelia was very interested in as the case of Emil Price was still open, however it has gone unsolved for almost a decade.

"She didn't." Edmund new that the potion would compel a person to tell the truth, it didn't however, make a person explain that truth without being asked.

Amelia though was smarter than that and knew exactly how to play this game. "Where you involved in Emil Prices disappearance nine years ago?"

"Yes." Was all he said.

"Well then, what happened to Emil Price?" Amelia asked, she couldn't believe this was happening, Emil was her mentor back in the day, a real stand up auror.

"He knew too much, he had been discovered as a spy and was murdered like the traitor he was." Edmund said still in that dull emotionless voice.

"And who murdered him?" Amelia asked while trying not to tear up. She could finally give his wife and son an explanation.

"I did, with the help of Peter Pettigrew." Edmund knew his goose was cooked. Now it was just how cooked it was going to be.

Amelia had walked Edmund thru the death of Emil Price, verified he took the mark willingly, and collaborated that he was in fact trying to kill Harry Potter along with the names of the other three people in custody. She got him to explain his role in getting the dementors to Crawley and explained that they didn't know Sirius or Remus would be there. He even explained Delores' plan to torture Harry Potter's 'mudblood' wife. She walked him thru the whole Pansy debacle in Hogwarts, found out that she knew exactly what the potion was and how to use it properly. She too was looking at charges because of this.

In the end Edmund Parkinson was sentenced to the same fate as Peter Pettigrew and would be passed thru the veil at midnight after receiving a dementors kiss. Quite fitting Amelia thought.

Gregory Pucey's trial went much the same, he was in it for the power and the money, which is how Amelia tracked him to begin with. That amount of gold moving vaults could never stay quiet in Gringotts. Pucey didn't know anything more about Emil, he did explain that he was coerced into taking up the Dark Mark by his father, but still willingly accepted it after he discovered he could mess around with attractive muggles, never mind the gender nor age. He too was found guilty and given the dementors kiss for his crimes.

Delores Umbridge was now sitting in the accused chair, her wrists chained to the arms with a smile on her toad like face. Amelia had decided to have Delores testify before Bulstrode so they wouldn't lose the momentum, Amelia wanted this witch put away, she was also curious to see what her motive was.

"Delores Umbridge, you have been brought here today to face trial for 3 counts of attempted murder, treason, and line theft." Amelia almost broke her façade by laughing as the happy smile on her ugly toad like face dropped into a fairly spot on impersonation of a ghost. "We now also have several counts of murder to go over as well.

"PERPOSTERUS!" Delores screamed, spittle flying from her mouth. _How dare this bitch have the nerve to claim line theft!_

"I would like to know on what grounds you have to declare any of those charges!" Delores stated with so much hatred the devil himself would back up.

"We will explain that shortly Madam Umbridge, how do you plead?" Amelia was now looking forward to getting some veritaserum into her.

"I plead not guilty to all counts!" Spit flying from the mouth of the soon to be dead witch.

"Thank-you" Amelia said while waving for the healer to bring in the tiny clear bottle filled with the truth telling potion. It was at this time that Delores really lost it. Claiming her right as a Wizengamot member and screaming that this was an injustice to not only herself but any other pureblood who would stand trial.

Amelia once more explained the changes in rules only this time to Delores, who could care less about the whole dark mark policy as she wasn't a marked death eater, what she cared about was past crimes and that she would now be forced to answer them if asked the right questions.

Although Delores wasn't a death eater, she sympathized with them very strongly, and if given the chance she would have gladly taken the mark. She not only cheated her way into society but made sure she was needed while in that position, this meant that she was an asset to death eaters and politicians alike.

Still fighting with everything she had, Delores attempted to talk her way out until the very end. Once those three drops of liquid hit her tongue she stopped resisting and just sat there quietly. The only thing she could do now is pray that Amelia didn't ask anything too incriminating.

All that praying went as far as the first question, "What can you tell me about Emil Price?"

Even though Edmund didn't think that Delores would know anything about Emil, he was proved very wrong. She had information on several open cases, had her hand in all of them, every spy that was missing was because of her. She hand fed information to the right people to get her way and move herself into the position she was currently in.

Harry knew that the Selwyn's weren't related to her, she said as much in the last timeline during her 'Muggleborn Registration Act' nonsense, causing Amelia to do some digging. What she found was not only disturbing but very, very illegal.

"Delores Umbridge, can you tell us how you are related to the Selwyn's? A minor noble house that's bloodline has been declared extinct?" Amelia asked.

"No." Said the dull emotionless voice of Delores Umbridge. "Because I'm not related to them to my knowledge, it's a best guess as I don't know who my father is/was."

"Do you know there is a way to determine a family's lineage, we will be performing this spell in order to determine if you are in fact guilty of line theft. Because you chose a family that has no existing members this is the only way, they obviously would not be able to charge you, however you have been claiming their head of house status and their seat within the Wizengamot, meaning the Wizengamot itself will be charging you with the line theft." Amelia was keeping a sharp eye for signs of shock but saw nothing of the like in Delores' eyes, however dread was heavily prevalent.

If Delores wasn't related to the Selwyn family then the charges of Treason would be unfightable, taking control of a house that had a seat on the Wizengamot just to better your position in life doesn't look to hot. On top of that Delores wasn't sure she wanted to know where her real lineage lies. What if she had ties to muggles or mudbloods, or heaven help her a blood traitor like the Weasleys.

There was no time to think about it anymore, the healer that had applied the veritaserum was back and performing the spell before Delores could even argue. To everyone's surprise, the test results came back in the positive, Delores Jane Umbridge was in fact in some way related to the Selwyn family, it was very slight but there none the less, and no one was more surprised than Delores.

"Well Madam Umbridge, it seems that you have just gotten lucky, however by your own admission you claimed that household in order to gain entry to the Wizengamot without knowing if you were in fact a member of said house, but because there are no other challengers to the house of Selwyn we will be dropping those charges against you." Amelia said bitterly.

"However, you will still be charged for attempted murders, you will also face charges for all the prior aurors you helped bring to their demise and in turn treason." Amelia then took the vote to decide what Delores' punishment would be.

"Delores Jane Umbridge, you are here by sentenced to a dementors kiss after which time your body will be passed thru the veil following your cohorts to your death." Amelia stated happy with the sentence, being told what happened in the last timeline she didn't want a repeat on any harm to any of the children.

Delores descended into the floor still attached to her chair, weeping.

Amelia though saddened to end the line of Selwyn once more, had just turned to the governed body to address them before the final trial took place for Bulstrode.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, something needs to change." Taking a deep breath Amelia tried to steady herself, "Today we have learned about not one but four brave aurors who have had their lives forfeited for someone else's gain. Four brave souls who risked everything to cross into enemy lines to help end a war they didn't ask for."

Amelia had the chamber now; everyone was focused on her. "And how do we repay them? We allowed their names to be forgotten, allowed hundreds if not thousands of people to lose loved ones. And for what? So that these deranged death eaters who thought they were better than everyone else could go free!"

Amelia was breathing heavily now, knowing that she needed to keep her composure for the last trial she left off on something that will stick with everyone in the chamber for the rest of their lives as well as make the headlines of the prophet.

"I stand here today as one of two remaining members of the house of Bones; I know several of you are in a similar boat. Rules were changed right after the war to benefit not those families that lost so much but the murderers that caused all the trauma. I would hope that after today we will sit and look at all those reforms, however right now we have the final trial today to get over with." At that Amelia watched as Conrad Bulstrode raised up in the chair that once held Delores.

Bulstrode's trial was pretty straight forward, he didn't carry the dark mark, he didn't know anything about the missing aurors, nor did he even know Umbridge or Parkinson's reasonings behind wanting to kill Harry Potter. He was simply coerced into doing Umbridge's wishes simply because he was caught cheating on his wife and Umbridge used it against him.

His main contribution to the dementors was the address of the Grangers, and he only got that because the lady he was messing around with was a muggleborn with knowledge of how to use a phone book. All in all he got off with the easiest sentence of the day, five years in Azkaban with a heavy ministerial fine placed against him.

His wife chose to leave him to be absorbed back into her family due to the dishonor, his daughter Millicent would be given the option on how she wanted to proceed.

Amelia left the chamber happier than she has been in quite a long time, she set out to capture the people who went after Harry and his family, and left with four unsolved cases being solved, a nice little boost in funds for the auror department, and down two death eaters with the other ones tamed into a corner. Come summer holidays she planned to put in place new reforms making it fairer for everyone to be prosecuted. Yes, it was a very successful day, Harry adding his two knuts of confidence in both the aurors and Fudge's ministry went along way to making the politician happy as well.

Fudge thought things were going swimmingly, glad to have escaped any kind of scuffle thanks to Narcissa Black. From here on out he will be taking the council of that very wise woman, along with the help of Madam Bones. He would be a fool not to, his ratings were better than anytime in his career and he didn't have to feel like a flobberworm to get there.

Albus Dumbledore was shocked, almost as much as Delores was when testifying. There were four trials today, none of which was Albus Dumbledore asked his opinion on strategy, sentencing, or reforms. What good was being the head of the Wizengamot if all he did was open the session and close it. Given that these were all cases that Amelia cultivated herself and she asked for permission ahead of time to walk thru with the whole trial, Dumbledore was nothing but a mere spectator in the room.

It seemed his days of being the Leader of the Light were fading into the unknown, but his ticket back into the spotlight had just walked past.

"Amelia, a word if you would please." Albus asked politely.

"Sure Albus, but it will have to be a quick one, I have another meeting coming up soon at Gringotts, and you know one must not be late to a meeting with a Goblin." Amelia said while smiling, if Albus only knew.

"Understandable, I just wanted a quick word on the sentences." Albus didn't notice Amelia's eye roll, "I have been a little worried with the severity of the sentences handed out here recently, essentially you have now killed five people. I know that must be a heavy burden."

"Albus I think you are forgetting that I killed no one." Amelia almost laughed at Albus' shocked face. "Each and every one of them killed themselves when they decided to partake in killing others. Now tell me why I should feel any sympathy for them? Especially Delores Umbridge who is the sole reason four top notch aurors are dead?"

Amelia was done playing games, "I think you need to take a look at your priorities and decided where your loyalties lay, are you really trying to tell me that we should have given any of them a slap on the wrist and expect that they would behave from here on forward. Because frankly that has already happened, and they screwed it up, again, didn't they?!"

Albus couldn't argue that point, and he knew in his heart of hearts that each and every one of them got what they deserved, he just didn't like killing people, period. He also didn't like feeling like he was on the road to being a no name wizard who was once the greatest of all.

Amelia excused herself from the walking headache that is Albus Dumbledore and floo'd over to Gringotts, no matter how much she didn't want to be in the same vicinity of any bloody horcruxes again, the ministry needed a witness to the events, and she trusted no one else right now.

Harry had awakened to his favorite sight in the whole world, the chocolate colored mass of curls that is his wife's beautiful hair. He never thought it was possible to feel so loved, not even when he was with Ginny in the past timeline did he feel like this. He guessed it had something to do with being soulmates, even though he still had a hard time believing that this is his life now. Feeling Hermione's kiss to his cheek slowly pulled him out of his daydream.

"Good morning love, you looked a million miles away right then, you weren't even projecting your thoughts to me. Is everything alright?" Hermione asked with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Just thinking about how much better my life is this go around and knowing exactly who I have to thank for that." Harry replied while placing his own kiss on her temple. "Plus, I think Sirius' training on controlling our legilimency is pulling its weight, I naturally didn't want to wake you up so put up the shield so that you could continue to sleep. What time is it anyway?" he asked while sitting up.

"Little after six o'clock. Guess we should get up and get ready for the day." Hermione said this while getting up and grabbing clothes from the dresser, pausing to grab one of Lily's hair ties and her blouse. She figured Harry would need the love of his Mom today as well.

Walking down the stairs hand in hand, Harry noticed the full table and suddenly felt the weight of what he was going to be undertaking today. Amelia walked right up to him and gave him a hug, I just wanted to pop in before the trials today, I don't think we will have much time afterwards and wanted to make sure you know how much I care Harry.

Her hug shocked Harry so much he was speechless, Hermione answered for him. "We appreciate that Amelia, Harry would tell you himself if you hadn't just knocked the words out of his head." Hermione's giggles brought Harry back to the here and now as he returned her hug.

"I think what my beautiful wife was trying to explain was that before her I never really got hugged. Even in the last timeline I could count the number of hugs I've received on both hands. Hermione being the one who would hug me the most." Harry said blushing.

The blush grew with intensity as a line formed to give the boy who lived a hug. First Jean, then Mick, followed closely by Remus, Sirius, and Dobby. Everyone had tears in their eyes as Amelia took off to the Ministry to start the trials, they had an appointment with Bogrod and Griphook later that afternoon, until then the Grangers had decided to figure out what the kids wanted to do for the holidays.

If she had her way, and Jean very much wanted to get her way this year, they would have a big family celebration. Normally it was just the three Grangers celebrating, this year she had a son, two pseudo brothers, and an extended family to plan for. To say she was excited was an understatement. Visions of a giant tree with loads of decorations, and tons of presents filled her mind.

"Take a seat kids, and let's talk about the holidays!" Harry just had to laugh at the gleam in Jean's eye.

"Sure Mum" Harry said while pulling out Hermione's chair, "Let me just grab a plate for us and we can talk about it."

Mick could tell that Jean was over the moon, and he didn't think Harry even noticed what his 'mum' phrasing did to her, _then again_ Mick laughed, the twinkle in Harry's eye told him maybe he did know and purposely used it to be able to grab food.

"Okay, now that everyone is fed and or eating, can we go over who is all coming to stay and when? We have much more room now, and don't have to be limited by our space." Jean said while grabbing the pen that Dobby plopped on the table next to a notebook.

"Well, let's see…" Hermione started putting up fingers as she recounted who was all coming over. "There is Remus, Sirius, Amelia, Susan, Narcissa, Draco, Andi, Ted, Tonks, and the Weasley Twins." Holding up ten fingers because who counted the twins as two people Hermione looked to Harry. "Am I forgetting anyone dear?"

"Neville dear. Originally, we had only planned to ask Neville and the twins to spend the weekend, but since we have so much more room and aren't restricted to non-magical area's we could potentially extend the offer of hospitality to everyone invited as well as the rest of the Weasley brood.

"Even Ron?" Mick asked, even though he was told Ron had been acting perfectly fine, he still didn't trust him in the slightest.

"Dad, if we can put aside our differences and invite Draco Malfoy to our home, and even invite him to spend the weekend, I think we can invite Ron." Hermione said while crossing her arms, "besides, Molly would never let the prat become a prat, at least not in front of everyone."

"To be honest Draco surprises me more than Ron, I can't believe how much everything has changed this go around." Harry said while sipping on his pumpkin juice.

"Okay, Dobby will you have the house elves prepare eight to nine additional bedrooms we can figure out sleeping arrangements after we get a final total." Jean asked right before Dobby popped away.

"Next thing on my list … "and Jean was off, they decided to cut a tree down from outside with everyone when they arrived, that way they could decorate it all together. Mick was fascinated with the wizarding version of lights. Even though he's been submersed in magic for the last few months using actual fairies seemed amazing to him. Sirius' contribution to the planning was that he wanted to do a secret Santa gift exchange, a tradition Harry found out that his Mum started with the Marauders.

Harry and Hermione went over the fact that not all the guests will have knowledge of their past lives and to be careful what they discuss while everyone is over. After that everyone, now finished eating headed to their rooms to get dressed for the day while Harry and Hermione followed Dobby to go thru a few boxes from his family, they headed into the library so they could speak to the sources themselves, his parents and grandparents.

Walking in had a smiling Lily looking excited "nice top my dear, you look splendid in it!" Hermione blushed at Lily's praise; she had forgotten she grabbed one of her blouses to wear for Harry.

"Thanks mum." Hermione said while trying to control her rosy complexion. "I thought Harry could use a little piece of you around when he gets the horcrux removed."

Nodding the Potters spent the next few hours going thru journals and photo albums that were in the contents of the boxes Dobby popped in and out with. The little guy had just popped in empty handed to take out the most recently organized box when he alerted them that it was time to go.

They met up with everyone in the entry hall, Jean and Mick were going to be heading to Gringotts via side along apparition with Sirius and Remus, the Potters would be heading there via Dobby. Within a blink of an eye everyone was gone from Potter Manor and arrived in the entry hall of Gringotts where they were met promptly by Bogrod and Griphook.

Sirius bowed and greeted the goblin duo, "Good day Masters Bogrod and Griphook, may all your enemies perish by your blade." Both goblins bowed in acknowledgement, pleased that they received the respect of their client. Harry and Hermione also bowed, Harry adding "May all your endeavors be profitable." Laughing was heard behind the two goblins, or as close to laughter as a goblin could manage.

"My compliments on your manners." Ragnok laughed. "It is a delightful experience to encounter wizards and witches that honor us and our traditions. It's also extremely rare."

The whole group bowed at the head of the goblin nation, including the non-magical of the group. Ragnok knew this group was special, so special they didn't realize what they just did was so far outside the normal range of normal that they were getting extremely close to friendship status. Something that hasn't been bestowed upon a witch or wizard since Merlin and never on a muggle.

Ragnok was going to explain this, just as Madam Bones popped in, already bowing knowing exactly who he was. _Another anomaly _Ragnok thought, _the head of the DMLE bowing to the head of the goblin nation. _

"Good day Director Ragnok, may your bank profit greatly" Amelia said before she raised from her bow.

"Thank-you all" Ragnok said while feeling a little shocked from such a display from a ministry member. _Today really is a red-letter day. _He thought while walking with the group into the ceremony room.

"Welcome Lord and Lady Potter" A female goblin healer stated as the group entered the chamber proper. "We have everything set up, thank you for wearing loose clothing it will help with the procedure." She said while looking at Harry's track suit and Hermione's flowy skirt and loose blouse.

Harry and Hermione just nodded, they were busy exchanging loving words thru their bond, understandably they were both rather nervous about this procedure, it took getting hit with the killing curse last time for the horcrux to be removed from Harry.

"This is a love-based ritual, one that plays off the bonds you two share due to being soul mates. I'm not going to lie it will be painful, we have to essentially rip the soul from your body, and due to your bond Hermione will feel everything that you do, even if you could maintain a shield between you both the inevitable fact is that your souls are entwined, there for Voldemort is now attached to Hermione's as well." The healer finished.

Another healer came up next to them and introduced himself and the female goblin who was just speaking. "Pardon Healer Graplick, she's just as nervous as I'm sure you both are. My name is Healer Rogan, I'm going to be the main healer over the ritual today. Can I ask you both to take off your shoes and sit side by side in the circle we have drawn on the ground right over there." They both followed directions and headed of in the direction that Rogan pointed.

"I will ask that the rest of you take a seat in the warded area off to the left please." Rogan pointed another direction and Sirius lead the group towards the seating area. Jean thought everything in this ritual room looked very utilitarian, even their seating was nothing more than a stone bench, which to her shock was surprisingly comfortable. Seeing her confusion while looking at the stone Remus simple whispered magic into her ear with a sly smile on his face. Before Jean could comment back the main goblin started handig out instructions again.

"Thank-you, now once the ritual starts you are both going to feel a bit light-headed, it's not unusual for the main host, in this case Harry, to pass out. I will draw some runes on to you both that will monitor your vitals and magical supply." Rogan said this while painting said runes. "Are you both ready?" he asked when both Harry and Hermione had enough time to examine the runes that were placed on their bodies.

"Yes." They said together as they intertwined their fingers. Harry and Hermione stared into each other's eyes as the goblins started chanting, Hermione could feel Harry's thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand, a nervous tic she supposed. Then suddenly the runes on the floor started to light up, the atmosphere was getting charged with positive energy the chanting goblins provided. Harry immediately started to feel the sharp pain in his scar that he associated with Voldemort. Gritting his teeth, it took all his might not to scream, he didn't want to frighten Jean, gripping Hermione's hand tighter than ever, _maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring them_ he thought briefly right before he lost his battle with awareness. Harry held strong in that he didn't scream out in pain, he no longer had to worry about that though as he had passed out releasing the death grip he had Hermione's hand in.

Hermione didn't have the past knowledge to prepare herself for the onslaught of pain that she was feeling, at the start Harry took the brunt of the pain, but as soon as he passed out meant she was up to bat. It happened almost immediately, Hermione didn't have as much control as her husband, thankful that he passed out first, she heard his thoughts on trying not to scare her mum, she would just have to apologize when this was all over, for the gut wrenching scream she let out was more than enough to make up for Harry's amazing self-control.

It took the combined efforts of Mick, Sirius and Remus who was using his werewolf strength to hold Jean back from tearing down there to grab onto the kids. The scream only lasted for a few seconds before Hermione passed out as well, laying on top of Harry hands still loosely entwined.

Jean feared the worst but was assured by Rogan that this was normal. Shortly after Hermione passed out a black thick mist lifted out from both of the bodies lying entangled on the floor. Several goblins from different areas rushed forward and placed the black mist into a jar which would eventually be transferred into a pig, which would eventually be slaughtered. Amelia followed the jar out of the room making sure to watch as the horcrux was taken care of, she was going to be present for the others as well, thankfully the actual removal of the horcrux wasn't as bad from the inanimate objects, she didn't think she could handle hearing another scream like Hermione's again, it was a million times worse than the scream the diary produced, something she didn't think fire whiskey would be able to drown out.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Awakening

Hi all! It's been a hectic few weeks but I wanted to post this chapter, it's the longest I've written mainly because I didn't want to leave you with a huge cliff hanger. I love all the feedback I've been getting and I'm taking some suggestions for story twists into consideration! Thank-you for all the kind words and support. I know I won't make all of you happy but I'm glad the majority of you seem happy with my work. As always I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe except my little twists and turns, the rest belong to JK Rowling. Much love!

-Jwall

Chapter 15.

Harry awoke to his favorite sight once more, the beautiful brown curls of his wife, he went to squeeze her and noticed that she felt different. Moving her hair Harry noticed they weren't in their bedroom, in fact they weren't anywhere, once more they were in the endless white walls of what Hermione called purgatory.

Harry quickly glanced down at his wife and noticed that they were older as if in the last timeline, confused by this he leaned down and kissed his wife to wake her, Hermione's eyes shot open and a smile graced her lips, that is until she noticed where they were.

"Are we dead love?" She asked solemnly while biting her lip trying to think about how they once more found themselves here, her thoughts were interrupted, however.

A peal of laughter was joined by a hearty bark as they both recognized Harry's parents' voices.

"Why is it whenever they meet us, they think they died?" James asked Lily.

"Oh, I don't know dear, perhaps because we are dead." She said while lovingly smacking her husband on the back of his head. "Hey!" James said in a mock angry tone while rubbing his head, making his hair all the messier.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry asked curiously, eyebrow raised with an amused smile on his face.

"Just death's reward sweetheart. He figured you would like to spend a little more time with your parents, after all you did just send him four pieces of Riddles soul." Lily explained, which was all Harry needed. He was up like a shot and in the arms of his parents, Hermione not too far behind him.

"We don't have to go back to the other time-line or start over, again do we?" Hermione asked nervously once more biting her lip raw.

"Oh heavens no!" James stated with certainty. "No, we are just given a chance to catch up and spend some time with you both, Death thought you might like to reflect your actual age while you're here, no sense in trying to hide anything from us."

The same giant couch appeared again, only this time another smaller couch appeared along with three red headed gentlemen sitting upon it.

"Kids, this is Billius Weasley and Gideon and Fabian Prewett." James said introducing them to Harry and Hermione.

"Ron's family?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Molly spoke a lot about you two" Harry said shaking Gideon and Fabian's hands. "And Ron had nothing but praise for you Billius." He added when he took Billius' hand in his own.

"That's quite shocking, considering we were all but set to disown him from the family. Cedrella didn't even come to speak with him when you all came back in time.. the first time. Amazing the deal your mum struck with fate." Billius said.

"What deal?" Harry looked toward his mum, watching as she blushed a deep crimson.

"Oh she was brilliant!" James said proudly. "She worked it out that Ron would see how his life could be like if he continued on his current path. You might have noticed he's had quite a drastic change in personality. In short he grew up early rather than never. Wish we would have had the same luck with Wormtail." James had a sad expression on his face, no matter the outcome James had thought of Peter as a brother, the betrayal cut deep.

Both Harry and Hermione had the perfect 'O' formation on their face, shocked that anything could be done to help Ron. Hermione was the first one to break the silence.

"Thank-you!" She said emotionally while she hugged Lily tightly. "I didn't know I wanted him in my life anymore, but now that we know it's not a fluke you have given us the best gift ever! Our family is back together." Hermione let go of the tears, both in frustration over the previous Ron and the relief that they didn't have to cross that bridge once more … hopefully.

"Guys we are so happy to see you both, but we also have a few things we would like to teach you while we have the time." James started off while Hermione was still hugging Lily. The thought of being taught something pulled Hermione away Lily however and focused her attention. James held in a snort thinking about a certain red head who loved to learn just as much.

"We would like to teach you several things while you are here, unlike last time we have a specific time frame given to us, once that is over with you will once more return to the realm of the living with barely any time passed between the time Hermione fainted and the time you both wake up." Lily followed on.

"The five of us each are quite skilled in different areas, James will teach you how to become an Animagus, or at least give you both the skills required to become one, Sirius will still have to help a little in the mortal world." Billius looked toward James in awe as he turned into a stag before their eyes.

"You both won't be able to turn in this realm but I can help you set the groundwork and cut off a substantial amount of time from the training." James said once he turned back to himself.

Fabian gave a soft chuckle at Billius's shock and awe, then picked up where he left off.

"Lily here will show you the subtle art that is potion making way more proficiently than Snape ever could, and we.." Fabian pointed between the other redheads and himself "will attempt to show you both how to fight like master aurors given that was part of our job while still alive." Fabian said rather proudly.

"Me too!" James tacked onto the end of Fabian's explanation chest puffed out in a superman pose.

"How long do we have?" Harry asked smiling at his dad.

"A little under a year, Death is giving the gift of time with family and friends as a way to say thank you for fixing the humiliation that Tom Riddle has brought upon him. Your great ancestor departed the mortal realm as an equal and Death hasn't forgotten." James said proudly.

"I told you Harry! I told you that you are descended from the Peverell's!" Hermione said while sticking her tongue out at him rather maturely. All Harry could do was laugh and shake his head, he was getting to spend quality time with his parents and a family he had only ever heard about from Molly and the rest of the Weasley's. He wondered if they didn't mention the whole traveling thru time thing if someday, he could tell Molly that he got to spend time with her beloved brothers?

_Something we will have to discuss before we leave love. Who we should all tell about this trip into the unknown. _Hermione said in his head.

Before Harry could respond to Hermione's mind linked question his mum gave him another shock.

"We might also have a few others popping in; your grandparents would like to make an appearance as well." Lily said while holding Harry in her arms. "Both sets."

"Well then let's get started!" Hermione was always going to say yes to more knowledge, she also sent a mental _we will figure out a plan later_ to Harry.

Jean was released as soon as the goblins gave the signal that it was safe to do so, just as she reached the kids Harry's eyes popped open followed by Hermione's, soon their faces had a smile as wide as the sea on them.

"Oh thank God your both alright!" Jean yelled as she scooped them up into a needy hug, first Hermione then Harry. Even after a several years of Hermione's hugs, receiving one from someone other than his wife and now parents was still a little shocking to the boy who lived. Jean could feel him tense up for a brief second and then he relaxed into the hug and squeezed back.

"Muuuuuuum" Hermione whined as she winced at the tight grip her mother held them in after their individual hugs, "I need to breathe you know!" She laughed a little as she returned the fierce hug, it had been a year after all.

"Is it over? Is it gone?" Harry asked, putting on a show like they had discussed, his parents had agreed with them to keep this part a need to know basis and right now in such a public setting it was not need to know.

"Yes my lord the horcrux is gone, as are the others in our possession, the containers are safe and it is up to you to determine what you would like to do with them." Ragnok stated as he walked up. "If you are both up to it, I would like to see you both before you leave, I have a few things I would like to discuss with you two." He hoped that his message would get across that it was to be a private meeting.

"Sure," Harry said as he caught on almost instantly and was curious at what the Director of Gringotts would want to discuss with them, his mind throwing out one wild idea after the other. "Sirius, why don't you take Mum and Dad to the vault, let them pick out a few books or anything else they see that they would like, we haven't really showed them around quite yet."

Jean, being very much her daughters' mother, was super excited at the mention of books. She also wasn't dumb as a brick to notice something happened when the children passed out, that was something they were going to be discussing when they got home. Call it a mother's intuition but she could see the change in their eyes, they carried themselves differently, even more different than their ages dictated.

"Books! Let's go Sirius, lead the way!" Jean said with an upbeat tone and a pip in her step giving Sirius a shooing motion.

Laughing Sirius lead the group out of the chamber and down the hall to the Potter Vault, Harry yelled after them "Make sure you show Remus his new vault too!" causing Remus to trip over his feet, impressive for a werewolf and turn to look at them with a shocked expression.

"What? We told you that you gained an inheritance from my parents, we just wanted to make sure you knew where your vault is!" Harry said with a laugh. Remus was guided away by a laughing Sirius who could be heard saying "I may have added a few coins to the pot as well, you have been my best friend for quite some time now." While slinging an arm around his shoulder.

To Remus, who has been so alone for the past decade, having his family back, even if it wasn't the whole family, was worth more than any vault could hold. He too had that intuition that told him something had changed; he would have to wait to get back to Potter Manor to find out what it was though.

_Mum knows something is up_ Harry heard Hermione's voice in his head and replied, _yeah, I saw that, Remus too, looks like we will be explaining when we get home. _Nodding her head to answer him Hermione turned to face Ragnok.

"If you would follow me" Ragnok asked as he saw her look and started to walk towards his office.

Harry reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand, entwining their fingers once more as he led her out of the chamber. _So much has changed, I feel so different, yet we were only out for not even a few minutes. Do you think Ragnok can tell?_ Hermione asked Harry.

_Possibly, they did have tracking runes on us, they also have a better understanding of that ritual than anyone else. Guess we will find out when we get to his office._ Harry thought back to her.

Upon entering the office Ragnok offered beverages and asked his guards and secretary to leave. Noticing the curiosity in their eyes he figured he would explain. "I have a few things I would like to go over with you, some of which would cause a great deal of pain to my people if you were to choose not to accept. I would like to spare any feelings or political views within my nation."

_Sooooo, not about our journey into purgatory then. _Hermione thought with a chuckle. Neither of them was prepared for what Ragnok was going to offer however. Like any good Goblin he got straight to the point.

"I would like to take this time to extend friendship status to you both as well as the rest of your party today. Obviously, we would have to forego offering this to Madame Bones as her position within the Ministry would prevent her from obtaining it, we are still nothing but beasts to them, useful beast, but beasts none the less even if the fair Madam views us differently."

"Direct Ragnok, we are blown away by this generous offer, we would love nothing more than to accept and I am sure the rest of our family will do the same." Harry said excitedly. They both had read up on goblins in the last time frame before they went back to grovel for forgiveness, they knew this was a big deal.

"Wonderful, now if you would allow me to speak freely there are a few more things I would like to ask." Ragnok was worried about asking too much, one didn't want to offend one of the richest clients in their bank.

"Sure" Hermione answered. "Go ahead and ask us anything, we will try to answer as best as we can."

"Well, pardon me for being rather forward, but you both don't sound like you are twelve to thirteen years old, we noticed this when you first came in after your bonding. We also noticed you weren't surprised by anything we had thrown at you about your vault, or your family." Ragnok watched closely for shock or surprise, finding none from either of them once again. "It seemed like you had already had this discussion and were rather familiar with your account manager already, even though you both had just met him." He finished.

"I told you they would figure us out Harry." Hermione said once more sticking her tongue out at Harry. "Pay up!"

"Director Ragnok, I know goblins are rather fond of gambling, however I would suggest never betting against the Lady Potter." Harry laughed while handing over two galleons to his wife.

"Again, no offense sir, but I learned that with your Grandmother." Ragnok finally got the shocked look he was expecting ages ago. "Yes, I was rather close to both of your Grandparents, I was their account manager before passing that down to Bogrod so that I may take over for my father as Director." He stated this proudly.

"Wow, I wonder why they didn't tell us?" Harry said, then paused and explained himself right away. "We have a painting at the Manor that we have spent quite a bit of time with this morning."

Nodding in understanding Ragnok continued his questioning. "Well, as I was saying, you both act far more mature than your years would dictate, you also carry yourselves much better than even someone who was raised in the magical world hell even some lords. You both consistently do or say things that make me think that you are time travelers."

"Have you met many time travelers?" Hermione asked out of curiosity.

"Me personally, no, but there have been stories about death bringing back a few to right many wrongs." Ragnok said while stroking his chin. "I do believe the last person to claim this was Godric Gryffindor."

"Well and here I thought we were the first." Harry said to a laughing Hermione.

Hermione just rolled her eyes, "Harry, Godric told us this himself." Hermione held in a chuckle, she caught Ragnok almost falling out of his chair in her peripheral vision.

"So it's true?" Ragnok asked while righting himself.

"Yes." Both Potters said together.

"We were actually in your bank holding an Annulment ceremony for Hermione when we found out, it was right after the second wizarding war. We act older because in reality Hermione and I are actually almost twenty." Harry said with a smile.

"Speaking of the second wizarding war, there are a few things I would like to apologize for, even if they never happened. I want to make sure that you know what you're getting when you offer us Friendship status." Hermione said solemnly.

The Potters explained a few things that happened in the original timeline, they didn't leave out much. Ragnok seemed to take everything in stride, even going so far as thanking Hermione for the suggestions that she made last time, they would be looking into getting the thief's mist installed soon. Ragnok also promised that he would be the only one to know the full story, however the healers involved in today's ritual would already be aware of the age difference in their souls. He ensured that they would be bound to secrecy and that nothing would be leaked to the public by them, he did hand pick them after all.

Happy with the way things turned out Harry then started to put their plans in motion. Asking about the Riddle property and the last horcrux was made much easier now that Ragnok knew the whole story. They also talked in depth about possible rituals to bring back the self-proclaimed dark lord.

They decided that the Potters would buy the property that the old Gaunt family shack was on as well as the Riddle Manor. They would let Frank live out his life on the property and then tear it down afterwards. The goblins would make sure that Voldemort, in the event that he would return, would not be able to access the property nor harm Frank. They also made sure to list any and all death eaters that they knew of to watch for some hefty withdrawals to fund a revival.

The trio then dove into the advantages and benefits of being a Friend to the goblin nation. They settled on a small ceremony to be held today before they left for home, that way the rest of the holidays could be spent with family.

Meanwhile, unknown to anyone really, but especially Harry Potter, plans were being made. Harry and Hermione had let Amelia know via owl about Crouch Jr. earlier that day, however Amelia would be too late, all they would find would be a dead senior Crouch and a small elf crying while clinging to an old pair of socks wadded up into a ball.

"Winky, please calm down, I really need you to focus right now." Amelia pleaded with the crying elf.

"Ami, what did you need so urgent…. ly?" Sirius was saying as he entered the Head of the DMLE's office to see Amelia with her hands covering her eyes and Winky still gripping the pair of socks as if it were a lifeline.

"Sirius!" Amelia dropped her hands from her tired face, "I didn't know who else to call, you've delt wonderfully with Kreacher, and Dobby almost appears normal now, could you tell me how to calm a disgruntle elf?"

Her face really did say everything at this moment, Amelia was stressed, tired, and about ready to take a beaters bat to a crying elf. Amelia had experience with elves, she had four of them on her staff at home, but Winky was different, years of mental abuse and the death of her master at the same time as being set free was too much for the poor thing. Amelia almost relegated it to the neglect that Lucius Malfoy doled out.

To be honest, Sirius was out of his comfort zone himself, however he did have an ace up his sleeve. "Dobby!" he called out and before he could finish the name a small crack sounded, and Dobby was there.

"Masters dog father called for Dobby sir." Dobby asked innocently, the way only an elf and children could do.

Sirius groaned, he was positive he would never hear the end of the dog father,"Yes, Dobby I'm going to need your help, Winky here has found herself in a tragic situation, it seems her master has freed her and she's not taking it well."

"Winky's family thinks Winky is a bad elf" a rather small, squeaky voice said softly. "Winky failed her master and let junior master out of her sight, master was very angry at Winky sir, I deserve to die."

"WINKY WILL NOT HARM HERSELF, WINKY WILL STAND PROUD AND EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED" Dobby said with such ferocity that it shocked everyone in the room, including Winky.

"How can Winky stands proud, she failed her master." Winky sobbed as she launched herself at the corner of Amelia's desk. Right before her left golf ball sized eye could hit the corner she froze in midair.

"Winky, Dobby has known you fors a long time. You are not a bad elf." Dobby was talking and walking so he could stand right in front of her. "Dobby knows what it's like to feel likes failure, but we's boths had bad masters." Dobby could see that he was almost getting thru to the distraught elf.

"Dobby no's want to see you hurt youself. As a free elf yous has options, Professor Dumbles and Miss Kitty would take you into the castle." As Dobby said this he released the elfish body bind that he had placed on her. Having a strong master such as Harry Potter provided Dobby with enough magic to be a powerful elf himself.

"Winky does not wants to go and work in the castle Winky wants a family, but who would want a throw away elf like me, Winky is better offs dying." The rejected elf sighed.

Sirius could see Amelia starting to reach for her bottle of firewhiskey, thinking to himself he went over every family he knew who would potentially need an elf. For the briefest of seconds he thought about the Weasley's but then threw that idea out the imaginary window in Amelia's office. Molly would never stand for it, she did all the cooking and cleaning in that house, only relinquishing that to punish her children, and even then, they got the work she didn't particularly like to do like de-gnoming the garden.

Sirius's watch started to vibrate, looking down as he answered with a cheerful, "What's up Moony?" the tired looking professor looked like he got hit by a broomstick going top speed, sandy grey hair all over the place, and a fresh, be it faint, new scar across the bridge of his nose. His amber colored eyes still lingering from the recent full moon tied Remus's look together.

"Oh would you wipe that smug smile off your face" Moony said with a huff, "I know that Amelia called for you but will you hurry up, you left me here outnumbered, and I know it's you who gave those two red headed menaces the tell-tale guide to being a Marauder!"

Just after Remus said that he ducked out of view, werewolf reflexes seem to come in handy when an incoming colored blob, suspiciously Weasley hair orange in color, passed thru where Remus's head once was. "Oi! You two are going to pay for that, that blob landed in my tea!" Remus yelled to riots of laughter. Green and blue blobs went whizzing past, it seemed like the twins paired up with Harry and Hermione.

"Okay wolfie, I'll be home to save your furry rear in a few, I have to help Amelia with an elf problem first." Sirius said while grinning at Amelia who rolled her eyes.

"Elf problem?" Sirius could hear Hermione in the background, "Who's elf? Crouches?"

Amelia spoke up from behind Sirius, "Yes, it seems Crouch decided to let her go, I'm just trying to figure out why and …" She couldn't finish Winky started to sob rather loudly, almost reminding Amelia of when Susan was a baby.

"Sirius would you expand the picture please?" Hermione was all business now, Remus had already done what she requested as Sirius could see him cleaning out his teacup in the background, he expanded the picture and placed it on the wall, then took a seat in front of Amelia's desk.

"Remus, that color suits you!" Amelia said with a snicker, it seemed that Harry and Hermione had landed at the exact same spot on Remus' shoulder creating a beautiful teal colored blob.

"har har" the werewolf mumbled while refilling his tea now void of Weasley orange coloring.

"Winky would you come here please?" Harry asked from Hermione's side. The little elf gasped at who was requesting her presence. The little elf immediately disappeared with a small crack and within a blink of an eye was next to Harry Potter bowing.

"Winky, Hermione and I are married, and although we have several elves, we are in need of someone with a particular skill set, one which you come with. Would you please agree to bond with us and the Ancient and Noble House of Potter?" Harry made sure to word it specifically to start the ritual.

"Lord Potter wishes to have a disgraced elf sir?" the meek little elf asked while still bowing nose almost touching the floor.

"Winky, you are not a disgrace, and on top of that we need you for a very specific job, you see how strong Dobby got after bonding as our personal elf, we would like to offer you the same position for Hermione, we even have a special project for you." Harry explained.

There was a loud crack and Dobby appeared looking at Winky with those giant expressive eyes, "Join our family Winky" he persuaded.

Winky finally raised from her bow to look between the Potters and Dobby, she had known Dobby for many years, they often talked about how nice it would be to be in the same household, however neither of them wanted to subject the other to the torment that their family dished out. This was their chance to be together in the same family, a family that from what Winky could see and feel were loving and kind. It didn't take much for her to make up her mind.

Winky walked forth and placed a hand within each of the Potters and swore her allegiance to bond with them.

"Okay Winky, here's what I need." Hermione began after the little elf was knitted out with the Potter uniform courtesy of a very excited Dobby. "I need for you to go back and explain everything that happened in your former masters home to Madam Bones, after you are done with that and she has no further questions I would like for you to locate Barty Crouch JR, do not let him see you, do not let him know you are there at all. I would like for you to find out where he currently is and report back to me unharmed. Do you understand?" Hermione made sure to add unharmed in the command, it saved Kreachers life to have a command to return home at all costs, she didn't want to have Winky thinking she could forfeit her life for the better of the Potters.

"Yes Mistress Potter ma'am." Winky bowed.

"Just call me Hermione Winky" the curly headed witch said with a smile.

"Okay, Her-me-owny" with that Winky once more appeared on the screen, she was back in Amelia's office and ready to answer questions, gone were the tears and the bundle of socks.

"Well Amelia, I guess you would like for me to stay and help make sure all the hoops are covered right?" Sirius asked with a hopeful tone to his gravely voice.

Amelia was both shocked and tickled pink, and not the kind of pink that wretched woman used to wear. She knew Sirius well both from childhood and now working together on the Horcruxes. She had no problem believing that he gave the twins a book to teach them how to be better at pranks, she also knew better than to tick off the quiet one of the once famous Hogwarts group. Everyone knew Remus was the brains behind a lot of the pranks played in school, heck even some of the retaliation was planned and crafted by him, he had a soft spot for Lily since second year when she found out about his furry little problem.

"Nope, I think I have it covered, thanks for the offer though, I think you are needed elsewhere. Please remember I would like to retain the and I quote 'Best DADA instructor Hogwarts has ever had'." Amelia couldn't help it she had to let her stern exterior crack a little at the expressions flowing across Sirius' face, first disappointment, next pride, followed by fear as he heard the prank war start back up on the mirror.

"Oh Hermione, could you please keep me updated on Crouch as you hear back from Winky?" the head of the DMLE asked politely.

Hermione's 'Sure thing!' was said while running out the door screaming, from the looks of it, it seemed the boys have now ganged up on the lady of the house. From off in the distance she heard "HEY! Not fair I can't retaliate!" Sirius chuckled hearing Jean screech. "Guess I better head home, sounds like the Grangers need someone in their corner." With a bow he kissed Amelia's hand, turned and walked out of her office heading to the floos, not before being hit on the backside with a very colorful yellow blob, Amelia's laughter ringing out into the main lobby shocking some of her Aurors.

Later that evening the Potters and family were sitting down for dinner, Harry and Hermione had discussed with James and Lily who should all know about their second journey into purgatory and had agreed the inner family, the twins, and Neville. There were reasons for each so they decided to explain their trip when everyone could be there. Persuading Jean to last that long was hard work but they really only wanted to tell their story once and answer all questions at the same time, and now was that time.

"So let me get this straight, you both were gone for almost a year, even though we only saw you both pass out for roughly five minutes?" Mick asked the two teenagers.

"That about sums it up sir." Harry said while shaking his head.

"And you got to meet our family as well?" The twins asked together as one.

"Yup! Billius was an excellent teacher, and Molly's brothers reminded me a lot of you two, they were so close in age that they might as well have been twins." Hermione explained to the unusually quiet twins.

"I can't believe Ronniekins didn't bother to listen to them.." Fred started.

"He is named after him after all." George finished.

"Hey I'm just happy my mum struck that deal with fate, we both agree he is hundred times better than he used to be." Harry said with a smile.

"Okay, I get why everyone else is here, but you said you had a reason for each of us." Neville blushed slightly, "why am I here?"

"Neville, even if we didn't have a reason for you being here, which we do, you would still be invited because we trust you and you are our closest friend." Hermione said while getting up to hug the shy lad.

"Remember when we told you several people popped in and out while we were there?" Harry asked trying to hide his smile.

The group collectively nodded.

"Well, we got to meet Apollo, or as he prefers to be called Palo." Harry was hoping someone would catch on.

"What would Neville need from the God of Healing?" Jean asked, being healers themselves the Grangers weren't unfamiliar with the mythical God of Healing.

Sirius, Remus and the twins all got it at the same time. The older Marauders started to tear up instantly, the twins watched and waited for Neville's reaction.

"I don't understand. Am I related to the Apollo?" Neville asked confused.

"Nev, Palo shared some techniques with us, we hope to be able to help your parents reconnect with the real world and escape the prison that is their minds." Hermione said solemnly, unsure of how the normally quiet boy was going to react.

Neville, the boy who was recognized by his Hufflepuff tendencies, the quite one, the future snake slayer, just sat and stared at the Potters, tears running down his cheeks unashamed of his emotion. He didn't know what he should do first, hug them, shout to the heavens. He did the only thing he believed himself capable of doing in that exact moment, Neville Longbottom asked for his Grandmother thru his tears, she needed to hear this.

The Potters did more than just floo call Augusta, they had invited her to their home, while they were waiting for her to come thru Sirius called up Amelia, she would be told about the trip, Harry and Hermione decided not to have her come for the initial telling as they wanted to inform her of the message her brothers sent with them privately, they also wanted to make sure the letter would make the transition, that was a tricky bit of magic, they had several letters from different people to be given out if they in fact came with them to the mortal world. As it turned out they came back just fine, although Hermione was a little shocked, but hey it was called magic after all.

Harry and Hermione stood next to a still tearful Neville as his Grandmother walked thru the green flames in their fireplace. Both Potters heard Amelia shout "WHAT!" over Sirius' watch, as soon as Augusta was thru the fireplace roared to life once more and Amelia came barreling thru.

Together Neville and Augusta sat holding onto each other, they listened as the Potters explained the procedure they had "learned" about. The two teenagers promised it wasn't anything that could cause any further damage to the two long term patients of the Janus Thickey ward at St. Mungo's. They also promised it wouldn't hurt themselves in the process, something that Neville was particularly worried about.

Amelia got the group into Ward 49 fairly easy, she also made sure to have Healer Jarvis there, he was the Longbottom's long time healer, not that he could do much in terms of helping them, but he made sure they stayed comfortable for the past 12 years.

The Potters explained the procedure to Jarvis, he had to admit it was a brilliant plan, one wrought with complications for an average witch or wizard, but for the pair of teenagers in front of him, they themselves would have no issues due to their bond.

The process was fairly straight forward, Harry would use legilimency to navigate thru the mindscape of the patient, for a normal person this would be extremely dangerous as one would need a strong tether to the physical world so as not to get lost or stuck within the patient's mind. Once inside the mindscape Harry would use his magic to produce a theoretical direction spell in order to find the mindscapes owner. Once he achieved his goal of finding Alice or Frank, he would have to persuade them to rejoin the physical world he couldn't force them or it could damage their mind.

Jarvis wasn't sure someone not tethered to another witch or wizard would ever be able to achieve this, for if Alice or Frank convinced Harry to stay a normal wizard would be lost to the mind and end up in a similar state to those they were trying to help. Harry however had Hermione to keep him on track or in an emergency pull him back out. He agreed that it wouldn't harm either couple to try, however he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, if Hermione had to pull Harry back out in a hurry the Longbottom's would remain the same.

Augusta signed off on the Potters performing the probe, Jarvis set the pair up with vital and magical core tracking charms so he would know if either of them became distressed or magically exhausted. Harry and Hermione took an hour to meditate and get their minds in the right space.

Harry dove in like a true Gryffindor, as soon as he was in the mindscape, he pulled from his magic to produce a wand and used the point me spell that he learned in fourth year all those years ago. It worked like a charm, he followed a beautiful path full of different species of flowers and magical plants, Neville would be fawning over the fauna. Obviously he got his passion for Herbology from his mum.

The plants became more dangerous the further Harry went, he had already snuck past the venomous tentacula, a green spikey vine like plant that likes to try and wrap its prey up like a snake when he saw her, she was sitting below an identical copy of the Whomping Willow from school, surrounded by devils snare.

Harry walked to the edge of the black vines and called out to her, "Alice Longbottom, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to have a word with you."

Harry didn't want to upset her by using her rank or title, he didn't know her triggers so figured it would be best to play it safe. "Who are you?" Alice called back while sizing him up.

"My name is Harry Potter, I'm James and Lily Potters son, your godson, and best friend to your son Neville." Harry also made sure to mention Neville, as he was almost sure that would benefit him in the long run.

"Neville? My baby is okay? Where is he? Where is Frank? Actually… where am I and how did you find me?" Alice rattling off questions like Hermione causing Harry to smile.

"Those are all very good questions, and I promise to answer them to the best of my abilities, but I really think some of them would be best answered by your son and Mother in law. Right now, we are both currently in your mindscape, you escaped here to prevent further damage to yourself after suffering the cruciatus curse." Alice gasped while Harry was explaining.

"Frank is in the same state, my wife and I are only able to help you both due to a bond we share, you have been residents of Ward 49 in St. Mungo's for a little over thirteen years. I'm here to bring you home, do you trust me to lead the way?" Harry held his breath while awaiting her answer.

"Lead on young man and thank-you." A path formed between Harry and Alice as she walked to him and put her arm thru his as he led her back the way he came.

"Hermione it's been almost two hours, is Harry alright?" Neville asked pacing, "Shouldn't you pull him back soon?"

"He's on his way back, and he has your mum with him." Hermione said while a tear was snaking down her cheek, "Look!" she pointed toward Alice's bed where her eyes had opened up and she was staring directly at Neville with a smile on her lips.

"Neville?" a croaky voice slipped from her lips for the first time in years.

All Neville could do was nod as he sobbed loudly and ran to her open waiting arms, she was home. On the other side of a two-way mirror there were nothing but tears, they all agreed to let Neville have a few moments with his mother before they would slowly trickle in. Amelia had to take a seat, she didn't care if her façade broke in public, she was crying tears of joy today for her friends.

Several hours later and Harry was still walking around Frank's mindscape following the point me spell, Hermione had already checked in a few times and was now supplying Harry with a little bit of her magic to keep him topped off. Frank took the brunt of the curses to save his wife the pain, meaning his damage was much more extensive than Alice's. Healer Jarvis did explain that the physical damage Frank had took much longer to heal as well and had guessed that he would be more difficult to find.

Harry was walking thru a hedge like maze, bringing back heavy memories from the Tri-Wizard tournament, he had just rounded yet another corner when he was attacked by yet another magical beast. He had already come across a hippogriff, a Cerberus that looked strangely like Fluffy, and a ashwinder who thankfully Harry was still able to speak with. Compared with those these Cornish pixies were easy, Harry was hoping this wasn't a sign that he was getting further from Frank and checked his point me spell one more time after the brief battle; it still pointed in the direction he was heading so continued on.

Three turns later and with a blast of ultra-hot fire Harry found Frank who was sitting on a ledge guarded by a dragon, and not just any dragon but a Norwegian Ridgeback. Thank goodness Hagrid handed Norberta over to Charlie, there is no way he could handle something this big!

Harry started out the same way that he did with Alice, "Hello there Frank Longbottom, I mean you no ill will. I've come to speak with you about rejoining your family once more. Alice and Neville are waiting sir."

Jumping to the left to avoid a blast of flames from the ridgeback Harry once more stepped front and center to face Frank.

"What is your name son? You look very much like a friend of mine." Frank said while having the dragon lower it's head so that he could climb on.

"I've been told I look a lot like my father James Potter" Harry said with a smile and then continued, "But with my Mothers eyes. I like to think I get my brains from Lily Potter as well."

"Harry?" Frank asked now on the ground and walking towards him.

"Yes, you've been in here quite a while Frank, I'm here to bring you home to your wife, my godmother and my best friend Neville. They are waiting for you." Harry said as Frank had a tear roll down his cheek.

"Where am I Harry? More importantly, where are they?" Frank asked.

"You took a lot of damage protecting your wife and son Frank, rumor is you were held under the cruciatus curse by Roldophus LeStrange for five minutes, punishment for intercepting one meant for your wife." Harry saw Franks eyes dilate, "Don't worry, both Alice and Neville are now safe, I took the same journey I am on now to find Alice and she is currently holding onto Neville. Although I have to say, your defenses are a hundred times more difficult and scarier than hers."

"Let me guess, she was surrounded by deadly plants?" Frank asked with a fond smile, seeing Harry nod he added, "She always loved that stupid tree at Hogwarts, said it was misunderstood. I preferred Care of Magical Creatures myself."

"I can tell, thank-you for putting ALL of Hagrid's teachings to good use." Harry laughed at Franks expression.

"They let Hagrid teach?! Blimey my defenses should have been easy with his love of creatures, Aragog was bloody terrifying." Frank said with a shudder.

"Oh you've met Aragog? I thought he kept him hidden from everyone." Harry said right as he got a message from Hermione that he needed to hurry up.

"Hagrid and I became friends when we bonded over our love of the unloved. He's such a gentle giant, bloody horrible things people say about him." Frank said with a frown.

"I don't mean to cut this short, but the only reason I could track you down was because my wife and I share a soul bond and with that comes a form of telepathy between us, she is currently telling me to hurry things along because your wife and son are getting antsy. Would you like to see them?" Harry watched as Frank looked from him then back to his dragon.

With a pat to the snout Frank said goodbye to his protector and walked with Harry to a door that appeared with an exit sign above it, rather convenient Harry thought.

Frank awoke to his family surrounding him and plenty of tears. Harry was exhausted and Hermione had fallen asleep fairly quickly after Harry and Frank returned, she was feeding Harry magic thru their bond to keep him stable and was nearing the point of having to pull him out due to safety.

Harry gently shook her shoulder to wake her up and softly whispered "Come on love, let's go home."


	16. Chapter 16 - The Life and Lies of Albus

Hey remember when I was trying to do a chapter a day... yeah that's not going to happen, but I promise to update as soon as I can. I write as the story comes to me, nothing is planned out, and I'm back to work full time so usually write in the evenings. I had a plan in the beginning that this story was going to have roughly 20 chapters, so we are nearly there. Thank-you for all the support and words of encouragement, both thru private messages and reviews. Like always I own nothing, and I write for the love of fan fiction. Enjoy :)

-Jwall

Chapter 16.

Christmas break was packed full of family time, Neville protested when Harry and Hermione handed him his Christmas present on Boxing day, claiming he got the best gift anyone could ever get him by giving him his parents back. Frank and Alice fit in perfectly with their family unit, Harry and Hermione loved getting to know them, Frank was super smart however and realized that Harry had to have knowledge far past second year to be able to get thru his mindscape, the Potters ended up telling the Longbottom's their traveling story, how could they not after witnessing their strengths.

Alice had all but adopted Harry, weeping for the loss of her friends and Harry's life all stemming from one man's need to hold onto knowledge. She didn't think she could face Dumbledore and hold her tongue, she might have been tortured almost a decade ago, but she still remembered who told them it was safe to come out from behind their wards.

Healer Jarvis agreed to keep the knowledge of the Longbottom's recovery private for now, he understood their need for family time and privacy. After putting the pair thru extensive test to make sure they were fit and healthy for travel he gave them a private portkey that allowed them to get out of the hospital without walking thru the lobby. The only other person who knew of their recovery was the head of St. Mungo's Healer Hector Bonham and he promised to keep this quiet until it was appropriate.

They planned to release their recovery well after the New Year allowing the Longbottom family some peace and quiet for a few weeks.

Augusta was unsure how the pair would react to waking up and heading straight back home where everything happened, so instead they became guests at Potter Manor until they could wrap their heads around going home.

Spending time at Potter Manor turned out to be helpful in their healing, all the laughing and companionship went along way into mending their minds even further, they were having a hard time losing so many memories and time with Neville that the Twin's goofiness or the Marauders hijinks made it easier.

Harry was exactly right in his thoughts to tell Amelia separately than from the rest of the group about their second trip to meet Harry's parents. Hermione had just gotten to the part where they met her brother when she lost it. She started shaking and rocking back and forth, the two didn't know what to do so they called for Sirius.

Amelia was now sitting tight up against Sirius with his arm around her shoulders stroking her arm slightly while she nursed a glass half full of firewhiskey, reading the letters that magically made it thru time and space. She could spot her brothers handwriting anywhere, so knew these weren't faked. Tears poured down her face at his words of encouragement and praise for raising Susan. Even more tears were shed at the letter he sent along to give to her from both him and his wife at her graduation.

"Harry, you will never know how much this will mean to Susan. We lost Edgar and Virginia so suddenly, I never had time to mourn them, suddenly I was a single parent with no family to help. It was an amazing coincidence that I had Susan that night or I would have lost everyone." Amelia snuggled in tighter to Sirius.

"Believe me Amelia my greatest wish came true getting to spend time with my parents when we first came back, but it felt like it went by in the blink of an eye, to be given the gift of time this go around was amazing. We got to spend some quality time as a family, I got to meet my grandparents and introduce them to my wife. Believe me I know how important this was." At that Harry stood and motioned for her to join him, he walked with her thru a hidden doorway from the Study into the Library.

Amelia gasped at the picture of James and Lily, Sirius walked up behind her and once more wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Ami, I'm so sorry for your loss, and for not being there to help you thru everything, I shouldn't have allowed my anger at Wormtail to interfere with those I love. I promise to do better."

"You're damn right you will! Padfoot if I could, I'd color you purple with orange spots!" Lily said in a mock angry tone to which Amelia just laughed.

"She's right you know." Prongs said mirroring Sirius by putting his arm around his wife. "You took far too long to tell this wonderful woman that you love her."

Amelia turned to face Sirius, allowing him to keep his arm wrapped around her and proceeded to wrap hers around his waist. "Thank-you Sirius, at least you are here now."

Sirius leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Snickers could be heard from the painting above, so he turned his face to look at his brother, "What's so funny Prongs?"

Instead of James answering all he got was Lily busting a gut, snorting sounds from the painting suddenly became surround sound. All the laughing caused the rest of the group who were long ago forgotten to start chuckling too as Harry slid his wand back up into its hidden holster smiling at his wife who was mimicking her mother-in-law.

"Pads old buddy, purple really isn't your color." Remus said while walking in the room and patting him on the back before conjuring him a mirror.

"Why you…" He couldn't finish because Amelia was now chuckling with the rest of them. _If making her laugh after feeling so sad means me being purple with orange spots, then it's a price I'll gladly pay _Sirius thought to himself handing the mirror back to Remus.

The day before the kids headed back to Hogwarts the Tonk's family arrived to spend a family game night with the Potters and company. With the Longbottom's back at home Sirius thought it would be a nice time to put a little more effort in the whole Operation Wolf Love.

He watched as Remus turned a deep shade of red having the charmed Mistletoe hang above him and Dora's head once more, this would make it the fifth time, each time taking a little longer of a kiss to release its charm. Smiling he watched as Remus pulled Dora out of the room. Now this wasn't the first time a mistletoe was charmed; however, it normally was sent after James and Lily sparing Remus the embarrassment of kissing someone for quite a bit of time in front of an audience, that this audience just happened to have her parents in it made it all the more embarrassing.

Remus pulled Dora into the study; she was laughing although he could sense she was just as embarrassed as he was to be practically making out in front of her parents.

"I'm really sorry about this Dora, I don't know why he's purposefully trying to make me want to kill him, but I apologize for tonight." Remus said with as much dignity as one getting pelted with a singing mistletoe in the back of the head can sound.

Tonks pushed up onto her tiptoes and leaned into the werewolf, her hair changing rapidly thru different shades of reds and pinks, and kissed Remus deeply. She twined her fingers thru his sandy brown hair and pulled him closer, his arms automatically wrapped around her waist. They kissed until the mistletoe zoomed from the room, at which Tonks flicked her wand into her hand and closed and locked the door, all while continuing to kiss the man who was featured heavily in her dreams.

Pulling back, she let loose a small chuckle at his dazed expression, "I didn't mind the kissing, just a little embarrassing to do it so passionately in front of everyone, especially my parents."

Remus couldn't form a coherent thought at the moment, so he just simply nodded.

"I've really enjoyed getting to know you these last few months, I'm actually kind of glad the mistletoe found us so interesting tonight, I was starting to think you didn't like me." She said as his arms tightened around her pulling her in closer.

"Dora, how could I not like you? Your caring, charming, creative, and ungodly beautiful. Hell, even my wolf has fallen for you. But you don't want us, we come with so much baggage, and your job would prevent us from having a happy life together, I couldn't saddle you with all that." Remus said as he attempted to pull away.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Dora asked while pulling the werewolf back to her. "For your information Amelia already knows how I feel about you, and with you being a professor and never having an incident makes it easier for me to be with you. Besides, all that werewolf propaganda is just a bunch of hogwash the purebloods created to make it hard on people who had no choice in the matter. One my cousin says he's working on getting corrected solely for you."

Remus knew his wolf fancied Tonks; he wasn't quite prepared for the wolf demanding that she was his Mate however. Werewolves don't normally settle down with anyone who isn't compatible with their inner wolf, and finding your mate required one to date, and well Remus simply didn't date. Moony however was all but screaming that this gorgeous woman in front of him was his mate for life. It scared him, he always thought he would be a lone wolf, forever a bachelor, but here he was wrapped in the arms of a woman he could see forever with.

Remus was always a strong and powerful wizard, the wolf just enhanced those qualities, what it didn't enhance was his self-esteem or confidence. His head was still trying to come up with reasons to not be with Dora, he's too old, he doesn't have the finances… well I guess Harry and Hermione and even Sirius fixed that problem. But he still was a beast!

Tonks could see the internal struggle in this gentle wolf, "Stop over thinking it Remus, you're not too old, you don't have to worry about supporting us both I work too you know, and I've done my research due to being your guard, I can handle Moony, not that he would hurt me to begin with."

Remus thought that she was right, even if he didn't have wolfsbane there was no way Moony would hurt his Mate, wolf or not. Deciding to finally take that leap of faith he said the only thing he knew in his heart of hearts to be true. "I love you Dora."

Tears glistening in both of their eyes Tonks replied, "I love you too wolfie." As they once more leaned in to exchange a love filled kiss.

"WOOOHOOOO!" a yell came from behind Remus.

"Sweet mother of Morgana what the hell!" Tonks shouted flicking her wand back into her hand from its hidden holster once more.

Remus had automatically turned placing himself in between the perceived threat and his mate his wand seemingly coming from nowhere. "What the hell?"

No one was there, however the voice sounded very much like Sirius now that he calmed down enough to think about it. Then it dawned on him, "Sirius take off the damn cloak and get the hell out!"

The floating head of Sirius suddenly appeared right behind the desk in the study, he must have sneaked in while Remus was getting beaten by the mistletoe.

"Siriusly, it's about time you two got together!" Sirius laughed at both his joke and at the pairs rosy cheeks.

"Sirius, I'm going to give you to the count of three to get the hell out of this room…" Remus started.

"Or what? You'll color me purple, that's already happened this week, I'm over the amusement of it." Sirius said with a feral grin on his face.

"If you would ever allow someone to finish their sentence, I was going to say or else I would send Hermione and Harry on you, but now that you mention it." Remus was remarkably fast with his casting, a bonus of having lightning quick werewolf reflexes, and got off the color changing spell before Sirius could form a shield. He had conjured it so that his skin tone and spots would blink thru the rainbow at a fast rate, much like Tonks hair when she got excited.

Sirius was so distracted with himself that he didn't see Tonks cast a tickling hex at him right before Remus levitated him out the room and into the family room, much to the amusement of the rest of the family.

"Congratulations you two!" Prongs said from the painting above the fireplace, Harry had made it so that they could enjoy his parents' company in several rooms of the Manor.

"What are we congratulating them on? Pranking Sirius? Because that seems to be pretty easy if you can get him talking!" Hermione said with a chuckle.

"Well, my sweet daughter in law, although you are correct, I know Sirius well and he wouldn't have blown his cover if these two love birds didn't make it official and start dating, he charmed that same bloody mistletoe in our sixth year, I can't complain too much though because it got me this beautiful lady right here." James said with a smile as he pulled his wife to him.

Based on the shocked expressions from his kids, Sirius had pulled the ultimate prank in his eyes, he was also glad he got it right, he knew the kids were pushing the pair together, he just hoped that this would fix or at the very least help whatever their plans were.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag, thanks you two I was going to properly ask Ted to court the beautiful Miss Tonks, but you two blithering idiots always ruin everything!" Remus said with mock anger, his eyes searching out Ted's to make sure he knew that he was joking with the guys but really did want to ask his permission, the slight nod from him sealed the deal. Remus was a happy wolf. The pair released Sirius so that he could go and sit by his now girlfriend, Amelia couldn't contain the laughter at his flickering spots, Sirius just rolled his eyes and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Two things happened on the train ride back to Hogwarts from Christmas break, the first being that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy not only showed up to the platform together, escorted by Narcissa Black, but they sat together on the train as well.

Now as strange as that might be to some of the students, what shocked everyone including the Potters was Draco winning a game of chess against Ron. The once mortal enemies set aside their differences and decided to play the wizarding version of chess, it seems that they could get along just enough to talk about quidditch and chess, which was WAY more than Harry ever thought Ron capable of. And to top it off Draco broke the winning streak that Ron had going since last year, and instead of getting mad, Ron congratulated Draco on being the best opponent he had ever played against.

_Miracles really do happen. _Hermione grinned as she looked at Harry, all he could do was nod as he was deep in a conversation with the red head and blonde about his thoughts on the Quidditch World cup next year. Ron thought it was going to be the Cannons year, however Draco was rooting for Puddlemere United. Harry kept his comments to himself for the most part but did say he thought Ron's idea was complete and udder rubbish with a chuckle.

Back at school the Potters were up in their private room having just finished unpacking their trunk.

Gringotts reported that the properties of which Harry bought to grab the last horcrux out of didn't in fact contain the horcrux at all. Ragnok reported that it did have traces of the dark magic that makes them up present but the actual object itself was recently removed.

"Well we kind of figured that's what Crouch did while he was in Little Haggleton, it seems in this case he is just a half a step ahead of us." Hermione said out loud to Harry from her spot at the table in their room.

Harry had opened a folder that contained all the correspondence from Gringotts and placed the letter back inside, once done he raised from his spot on the couch and placed it back in a hidden compartment on the book shelf to the right of the fireplace.

All in all, their private room at Hogwarts was cozy. Hermione had no problem filling the bookshelves lining either side of the fireplace, it made the perfect spot to slip in a false book they charmed so that only they could remove it. The small kitchenette proved useful when Hermione decided on an all-night study session, even though they knew all the coursework she still insisted upon having good grades, and Harry did concede that potions was a lot easier when he brushed up on the topic beforehand.

They both enjoyed McGonagall's expressions when they informed her of the new password each month, this month's password just happened to be Mischief Managed, and based off her reaction Harry could tell she knew exactly what the Marauders were up to during their time at school.

The following morning the transfiguration class was packing up after a double lesson when McGonagall called out, "Mr. Potter, I know you have a break after my class, I would like for you and your wife to stay behind for a moment please."

Hermione nodded and grabbed her bag from the floor while Harry reached out to carry it for her and followed her into McGonagall's office.

"Thank you both for agreeing to meet with me, there are a few things I would like to go over with you both." Minerva started, eyeing the two down to see if they would get jumpy or twitchy. Something she picked up from Harry's fathers time at school, something that Sirius still did, and it secretly made her laugh.

But not these two, steady as stone, almost like they were familiar with her techniques, most don't pick up this kind of calmness till after they graduate, too intimidated by her brusque manor to feel quite at ease this young.

"I've noticed things have been off since the start of this year, for one Harry, if you don't mind me saying this, but you have improved by leaps and bounds from last year. At first, I thought it was a change in your home life, but it was much to sudden and big of a change." At this Minerva did see him squirm a little. Moving her eyes over to Hermione she finished her observations.

"And you Mrs. Potter, you have calmed down a substantial amount since last year, and almost seem bored at the knowledge I am imparting upon you. I know you read ahead and are an excellent student, however I caught you mouthing some of the words to my lecture the other day, almost as if you had heard it already." Hermione blushed not at the assumption of her having prior knowledge, but at the fact that she was caught mouthing the lecture on Beetles to Buttons.

"Now, I am presuming that the reasons behind these sudden changes is a need-to-know basis, I am also presuming that you wouldn't want a certain crooked nosed individual to catch wind of any sort of future knowledge you two may or may not have." Seeing the pair shake their heads Minerva continued down her practiced speech.

"However, given my role as an educator, it is my job to make sure you are both learning at an appropriate level and pace. I have been approached by the other heads of house, Professor Snape included, about increasing your workload." Minerva paused to let that sink in, it wasn't every day that Severus saw it fit to compliment her cubs, she took great pride in these two.

_Shite, it didn't think we were that obvious._ Harry mentally projected over to his wife.

_Language love, and I agree, I didn't think we projected our future knowledge quite this much, I know exactly when Professor McGonagall caught me mouthing along, Beetles to Buttons sticks out in my mind because I got the spell right on the first go around all those years ago. But I forgot that I used to be a bossy know it all. _

In his head Harry chuckled, proud that Hermione could own up to that. _What are we going to do love, I don't think we should tell her about the time travel or our encounters in purgatory? _Harry and Hermione had already discovered very early on that they could have quite long conversations using their mental communication in a rather short amount of real time simply because the thoughts just popped into each other's heads.

_Why don't we try telling her a version of the story, we could push some of the explanation off on Remus, he really is an extraordinary teacher. It would certainly explain our knowledge to some degree, and we could push off my bossiness fading due to our relationship. _Hermione thought.

_It's a good idea, you know it's going to be a roll with the punches sort of plan, right? _Hermione's response of 'Like normal' almost made Harry chuckle out loud. _You start love. _

"Thank-you Professor, for both your understanding and insight into expanding our education. We would gladly accept any increased education. We talk often with Professor Lupin on our schoolwork and use him as a sort of tutor, so it must seem like we already know what's coming but in reality, he's always just pushing us to do better. As for my calming down, you'll have to thank this one right here" Hermione said pointing to Harry.

"The bond we share due to our soul bond makes it for me to see how I am thru his eyes and perspective; I certainly didn't like what I saw and push myself to change my pushy ways." Hermione blushed as she said this.

"And really she hasn't changed all that much Professor, she still is a stickler for a study schedule, you just don't see it because it's in our dorm room." Harry laughed as his wife smacked his arm.

Minerva smiled at them, she knew they were excuses, and she understood their need for secrecy, "Those are well thought out explanations for the changes the teachers are seeing, I will pass that on to them and let them know you accept the addition workloads." The two nodded at her words but were cut short by her next statement.

"Of course, you understand that I know how much a pile of rubbish that is. Please ensure that Remus knows of you two tying him into the lie that this is, it will make it all the more believable for the others." Minerva couldn't help the chuckle that escaped, did the two really think she wouldn't know better.

"I don't need to know your story, in fact I prefer not to know, it makes it easier to lie to Dumbledore. I will ask that you be honest with me on a few topics so that I may help you better. My first question is pretty straight forward, Am I right to assume you are both mentally graduated from Hogwarts?"

Gulping the pair in tandem nodded.

"And am I correct in the assumption that you both remember enough of your past studies to pass quizzes and your exams?"

Instead of answering the pair lifted their wands and performed the Patronus charm silently. A beautiful golden pair emerged, a strong build golden stag walked over to an equally strong looking doe and nuzzled her with his nose, then as a pair they walked over to the stunned professor for inspection.

Next to prove their point Harry summoned a block of wood sitting in the corner that the 7th years used in class to transfigure into turkeys, only instead of turning it into a turkey Harry made it into a back support for her chair, Hermione cast a few spells to make the support unbreakable, damage proof, and Scarlet red with yellow buttons.

Minerva accepted the gift and placed it on her chair, shocked to find it self-adjusting.

"Very well, you two are excused from turning in any work in my class, I trust for you both to turn in papers when I ask the rest of the class, but they may be blank or if you need to communicate with me you may do so thru the papers. Given Mrs. Potters mind, I'm sure you will know when the papers are coming."

Making sure the two understood Minerva continued, "Now, as for my last question, is there anything you need from me? Additional information on anything, questions I could answer?"

"Not at this time Professor, we really appreciate you not demanding answers for everything, eventually we would like to tell you the whole story, but simply can't risk it right now" Harry said truthfully.

"That is understandable Mr. Potter, thank-you both for your time, now we must all make haste as it is almost time for supper." The professor nodded to the clock on the wall, the pair was shocked they had been talking for almost two hours.

"What did Professor McGonagall need with you two?" Ron asked the pair as they sat down for supper. Neville looked over to them as well, curious as to what was going on.

"She offered us additional studies, seeing as we have been successful in our classes, we were going over what options were available to us." Hermione said seeing the understanding in Neville's eyes and the acceptance in Ron's.

"Makes sense with all the bloody studying you both do!" Ron said non-scathingly. Sometimes Harry and Hermione just couldn't believe this was the same Ronald Billius Weasley they knew from the past.

After dinner Harry and Hermione were sitting in their room going over all the notes, they had taken from Winky's observation when the elf herself popped in right as Harry was taking a sip of tea. Harry, startled, almost spit his tea right at the tiny elf, it was by sheer luck he was able to stop himself.

"Good evening Winky, I take it there is new material to report?" Harry asked after composing himself.

"Yes Maste… Harry," Winky stopped herself, her new masters were quite strange to her, it took a lot of effort to just call them Harry and Hermione. Dobby said this would wear off with time, but she doubted it.

"Winky sees old master with a giant snake and an ugly evil baby, they were heading into a dingy shack somewhere Winky can't remember the location of, I's only be finding old master when he's outside the shack, and can't sense him when he's inside."

_It seems he's got his homunculus earlier than last time; we must have changed enough of the past that the timeline is starting to change. _Hermione thought over to Harry as he nodded in agreement.

"They must be using strong wards to prevent you from seeing or finding them. Thank-you Winky, please continue to follow Crouch's movements when you can, so long as you ensure your safety, and that you always come back to us." Harry re-enforced the need for her to be safe, losing her was not an option, Dobby had the same rules put in place. Harry didn't think he could stand losing the little elf again.

"Let's get a report over to Amelia." Hermione said as she enlarged her watch and called Amelia's watch.

"Hello, you two, I take it you got news?" Amelia said as she answered, obviously in her office.

At the pair's positive response, Amelia placed up the privacy wards her office was provided with, then put some of her own on top of them. "There we go all secure, go ahead you two."

"It seems that Voldemort obtained his homunculus form way earlier than in the last timeline. I'm not sure what we changed to allow Crouch to escape and steal the ring, it's definitely not what happened last time." Harry explained.

"I also don't think he's going to use the same ritual he used previously either. It would make way more sense to use the horcrux. Given that we believe he made the ring second in his line of horcruxes, it would indicate that a much bigger soul fragment would be housed within, creating a stronger Voldemort than what we faced before." Hermione said sadly.

Amelia understood their trepidation, a younger stronger Voldemort was a scary thought, his tales in school were legendary and this horcrux was made apparently very late in his Hogwarts career or early stages after graduation. But any ritual would need a potion to help join the homunculus to the soul fragment, and to make that potion would no doubt require rare ingredients.

"Winky, did the Crouches have any other elves?" Amelia asked, trying to identify ways Crouch Jr. could get his hands on those ingredients.

"No Missus Bonsey ma'am, Winky was the only elf." The tiny elf replied in her high-pitched squeaky voice.

"Where is your train headed Amelia?" Harry asked.

"Well, to transfer his soul piece into the homunculus he would need to hold a ritual, that ritual would need a potion with very rare or expensive ingredients. I could narrow it down if I only knew of the ritual itself, we could put a watch on the known death eaters and apothecaries for purchases of certain ingredients." As Amelia was thinking she was playing with her ever-present monocle, Harry found out last time that it had charms on it to allow her to see false walls, or hidden compartments, much like Moody's eye.

"Well given that we believe he used a book from the Black library last time, why don't you start there, see if Sirius could help you find any books pertaining to Horcruxes." Hermione said, suddenly Harry heard her thoughts and agreed instantly.

"That's brilliant Hermione!" Harry said while hugging her.

"What's brilliant?" Amelia asked, it really was tiring trying to keep up with their mental conversations.

"Hermione had a thought to look in the room of requirements, the space we often use to help Neville with potions, and the twins with their pranks. You can ask the room to be anything you wish of it, Riddle actually hid a horcrux in the school, my beautiful wife assumes that he might have hidden notes or idea's there as well, fully expecting to be hired on as a teacher; that would allow him to access them at any point." Harry said proudly.

"That is a good plan, why don't you two bring Remus and the twins with you, if I remember right you said that room was huge and packed full of stuff." Amelia said while once more playing with her monocle.

The pair agreed and agreed to report back with their findings over the weekend. Maybe just maybe they could stay ahead in this war.

The following evening, the Potter's and the Weasley twins headed toward Remus' office, not unusual as they quartet often spent time there, now more than ever as a way to cover their story to the other teachers, and the twins because they idolized the marauder.

"Good evening you four, are you ready to go on a scavenger hunt?" Remus asked to the group, who all replied with a nod.

Once inside the room, Harry asked for the room to become unplottable, this way no one could stumble in on them, next he taught the twins a spell he learned from Fabian that detects harmful energies on objects. The basics of the spell provided you a warning on the object's intentions. Once cast your wand tip glows white, very similar to the lumos spell, if it comes near an object that has a life-threatening curse or dark intentions the light turns black, that gives you about a meter in diameter gap between you and the object. The closer you get to said object your wand starts to vibrate, the closer you are the stronger the vibrations. If the light turns Red, you are to get out of the vicinity as fast as possible as that is indication of a deadly curse that can seek you out if close enough.

Overall a useful charm, one the twins were excited to learn simply because of who taught the Potters. Hermione used a charm that created a grid like pattern on the floor. Once a search of the area was complete a 'X' would appear in the square, making it so if they needed to spread this out over a couple of weeks, they wouldn't waste time re-searching an area they had already searched. Not to mention the untold treasures this room held, Hermione was saddened that they couldn't go back and search last time due to the fiend fire incident.

As it turned out, the book they were looking for was actually in the room, right inside the door. Riddle must have hidden it in a hurry when he deposited the Diadem. What shocked Harry was the book wasn't from the Black family library, but a different family. It was a crest that neither the twins, nor Remus recognized, but one that Harry was very familiar with. Not many people knew the Dumbledore crest, or at least the old one, Albus had it changed after his father killed those three muggles, it was well documented in Rita's tell all book. Now the true question, why did Tom Riddle have a book from the Dumbledore family?

A few weeks later the wizard in question was sitting contemplating everything he had observed this year, where he had once felt confident in his role as Harry Potters hero per say, he couldn't help but feel his role in Harry's life had shifted, it started when Sirius was released from Azkaban. As the elderly headmaster sat in his high-backed throne like chair, his fingers steepled in front of him reflecting last year. It had gone according to plan, Harry was best friends with the Weasley's, a family who he had considerable pull with, it was of little inference that he was friends with the Granger girl, as without her the two boys probably wouldn't have made it thru the tests and traps he set. Harry himself was weak minded and pliable, something Ronald Weasley used to his advantage on the train.

In that same vein he felt his pull with the Weasley's to dip substantially as well, and even he could see the huge difference in the youngest male Weasley. So much change and yet Harry was in the center of everything.

He had to figure out what was all going on, just this morning at the monthly staff meeting, it was full of his senior staff praising how much Harry had improved on his studies, only surpassed by Severus actually praising the Longbottom lad, again thanks to Harry. Something was off.

Albus decided to see if he could gleam anything from the source himself and called for Minerva.

"Yes Albus?" The green face of Minerva in the fireplace spoke.

"Minerva, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, I would like to speak with Harry for a few minutes today, I have something in my possession that I wish to gift him. I know the lions have transfiguration this afternoon, could you have him come up during your class?" Albus spoke, knowing that he would need a good excuse for calling one of his deputy's charges in the middle of her class, and he had a number of possessions he had removed from the Potters home in Godrics Hollow that he could pass on now that he was done perusing them.

"I will be sure to pass on the message this afternoon, you can expect him after his transfiguration lesson." As Minerva spoke her brogue accent became stronger. "As I'm sure the item or items you are passing along to him belonged to his parents, you may also expect me to be present as well, given that it could get quite emotional for Mr. Potter and as his head of house it's my job to help him work thru those emotions." The Scot said this with finality to broker no excuses.

"Of course my dear, I was going to ask you to be present for the handoff anyway." The twinkle in the headmaster's eyes left little comfort to Minerva. _Sure you were,_ she thought to herself.

Once she got her head out of the fire, Minerva went off to find Harry and Hermione. She didn't want them to get blind-sided by her request and wanted to make sure that Harry felt okay with her being there.

Albus sat and stared at the fireplace where his deputy's head used to be, even she has changed, Albus said out loud to his empty office, or at least he thought it was empty.

"That is a true Gryffindor Albus, surely you wouldn't expect any head of house to not be supportive of their student?" The sorting hat spoke. Not an unusual occurrence in and of itself, however for the hat to be questioning the Headmaster was.

"Allister, you know that's not what I meant by that statement." Albus said a little shocked.

"I do know, just as I know you were never going to outright invite her to the meeting in the first place Albus. I must say, I am a little saddened by your changes. Gone is the brave little boy who wanted to make a name for himself, in his place I find tendencies more akin to a younger Tom Riddle. I know you know my reference." The hat spoke once more before becoming dormant like it was most of the year.

_What in the…_ Dumbledore couldn't finish his thought however several owls flew in thru the window with letters from the ICW and the Wizengamot, it seemed his duties were calling.

Minerva found the Potters coming back from the library and heading towards what she presumed to be her classroom for their transfiguration lesson which was set to start in twenty minutes.

"Good afternoon you two, would you mind following me into my office, I'd like to speak with you both before class begins." McGonagall seemed a little peeved as she said this, Harry was hoping it was nothing to do with them.

"Absolutely professor, after you." Harry bowed while indicating the professor should lead the way, while Hermione just snickered.

Once safely ensconced in her private study Minerva began, "I'm sorry to cut into your free time Mr. Potter, however I was informed by the headmaster just a bit ago that he wished to speak with you in his office after class today, well actually during class but I digress."

"Nothing new there, I'm sure he's curious as to all the changes I've undergone." Harry stated matter of fact.

"Actually, I was told that he has something in his possession that he wishes to pass onto you." The professor looked a tick mad still.

_Strange_ Hermione's voice popped into his head, _he already gave you the cloak last year, I wonder what else he could have?_

Harry thought back for a moment before answering her back, _I'm not sure, this is a new development, he never gave me anything other than the cloak in the last timeline, at least not until his death. It has to be something from my parents, something he didn't give me last time, and if it's important I swear I'm going to ring his neck!_

"Have you any idea what he has Professor?" Harry asked curiously, trying to maintain his occlumency shields to hide his anger.

"Not a clue, I did however, and I beg your pardon for not passing it by you first, invited myself along to the meeting. I figured you could use some help when that old wizards' eyes get to twinkling." His head of house look just as angry as he felt at the moment, she must have figured out it was something from his parents as well and agreed that it should have been returned much earlier than this.

"I appreciate that ma'am and will graciously accept your presence in the office. Do you think the great headmaster would have any objections to my wife being present?" As Harry said this, he reached for Hermione's hand giving it a squeeze, he could hear her inner monologue racing trying to figure out what the old goat had that he didn't hand over last time.

"I don't believe he would have a choice; it is your right to have her in there." McGonagall said with a small smile, "now I do believe it's time for class." She rose from her seat and opened the door leading to her classroom, the pair walked thru and took their seats in the front of class.

They had requested from the professor to study the animagus transformation, something that Minerva was weary to teach until Harry explained how he wanted to be one like his father and Sirius, and that it would be better to learn it from her than from Sirius, to which she agreed wholeheartedly and relented. This was what they were studying for as the rest of the class worked on turning animals into water goblets.

They already knew the theory behind the transformation, but needed to start the work on meditating and finding their inner animals, something that they couldn't do in purgatory.

The class passed rather quickly as they only had a regular session today as opposed to their double session every other week. Once the class was dismissed McGonagall asked for the Potters to stay after for a meeting with the headmaster, Neville offered to take their book bags back up to Gryffindor tower as they had a free period now and supper afterwards before heading off to astronomy.

The pair thanked him and then followed McGonagall out of the classroom and down the hall. Walking up the spiral staircase past the gargoyle the trio knocked on the door and entered.

"Ah good evening Harry, and Mrs. Potter, I see you tagged along, splendid... splendid." Although the headmaster looked anything but pleased, he waved the elder wand and created a third chair and motioned for the group to sit.

"Would anyone like any tea or biscuits?" Dumbledore asked politely.

The group all agreed to tea as one of the many Hogwarts elves appeared with a tray of biscuits and four cups of tea. Harry and Hermione both noticed that their tea was made exactly how they liked it and came to the conclusion that Dobby had helped.

"There, now that we are all settled in there are a few things I would like to go over with you Harry, and then I have a few items that I would like to pass along to you." Dumbledore kept his eye on Harry, waiting for the normal awed look that most kids his age got from being in his presence, something Harry had last year but was sadly missing this year. Blast the hold Sirius had on him.

Harry for his part, avoided direct eye contact with the headmaster, and advised Hermione not to fall victim to his twinkling eyes. Harry never confirmed but greatly suspected that the twinkle was fake and a way to have students look him directly in the eyes long enough for a light legilimency probe, just a surface reading, enough that students and adults alike wouldn't suspect anything.

Seeing no reaction, the headmaster proceeded to put his nose where it didn't belong.

"Now then, I am pleased to hear that you both have been doing well in your studies this year, so much so that several teachers have been assigning you extra work, it's been a weeks now and I would like to hear how that is going. Have you both been able to keep up with the extra work? Are you experiencing any trouble that the staff could help with?" He couldn't help but see how shocked Minerva was at this question, he figured she would be pleased that he was following up with her favorite students and taking an interest in their well-being.

_What's he playing at Harry?_ Hermione asked thru their connection.

_Dunno _was his reply.

"We have been having no troubles sir. The professors are really good about making sure we aren't overworked, and we have both enjoyed having the extra knowledge, especially with Voldemort still out there I think it's important for me to be ahead of the game." Harry answered knowing that he asked this question to figure out their motives for the extra work. Using Voldemort after being attacked by him last year was the perfect built-in excuse for Harry to try harder in his classes.

"Yes… yes, that is very good Harry." Dumbledore said happily, _he's scared and worried that's why he's changed so much from last year _he thought to himself.

"And what about you Mrs. Potter, how are you adjusting to finding yourself married? Are your parents taking it well? Do you need anyone to visit to explain to them the bond you both share?" Albus watched as Hermione looked toward Harry and then back to him.

"They took it well sir, however if you happen to have a book on soul bonds, I'm sure my mother would be eternally grateful." Hermione laid it on a bit thick, her mum would in fact be happy to read a book about the bonds her and Harry share, however she was pretty sure she could find that book in the library at Potter Manor.

"I shall endeavor to look for a text to satisfy her." Albus said once again happy with the response he received. A slight probe while she was looking at him told him her answer was genuine and that she too was nervous about Voldemort.

_Good one love._ Harry said as he gave her hand a squeeze. It was easy to avoid the headmaster's probes, and it appeared even easier to let him see what they wanted him to see.

"Albus, perhaps we should get this moving along, least the children miss supper." Minerva spoke after Albus was silent for several minutes.

"Of course Minerva" Albus said with a bow of his head and then he opened his desk drawer and pulled out two journals that Harry recognized right away and a pair of wands. As he placed them on his desk Minerva gasped.

_How did he get my parents journals? They were in my safe last time… _Harry thought. Hermione then answered his thought, _He must have placed them in there before he died. McGonagall is royally peeved, look! _

Harry and Hermione looked to their head of house, confused at her response to the objects. "Albus you had no right to withhold those from him!" Minerva spat.

"How dare you keep such important items from Harry, they should have been handed over when he started school. Actually, they should have been handed over earlier, considering Hagrid said the most he was told about his parents was the lie that those horrible muggles told to him that they died in a car crash! A CAR CRASH ALBUS!" Minerva having shouted the last bit was huffing as she continued to stand.

Harry was still a little confused, but so proud of his head of house _Go Minerva! _He thought before asking, "Can someone please tell me what has my head of house so upset so I can either join her or at the very least understand her anger?"

"Harry those are your parent's wands, I would know them anywhere, the wizarding world was under the impression that they were lost to the destruction of your family cottage. The books are their private journals, of this I'm sure because I gifted them both those diaries as a graduation present. One I give to every Gryffindor who completes Hogwarts." Minerva looked ready to skin Dumbledore alive.

"WHAT!" Hermione had no issues joining Minerva in her anger as Harry just stood there shocked as he stared at his parent's wands.

Albus held up his hands in surrender as he attempted to calm the angry scot. "I had every intention of giving these items to Harry, I was going to hand over the diaries last year right before he got on the train but was sidetracked by the Quirrell fiasco, I obviously couldn't give either items to him while he was at the Dursleys, the boy knew nothing of the magical world, something I would like to remind everyone here, that kept him safe whilst the wizarding world rounded up several dangerous death eaters. I don't think I have to remind you Minerva of what happened to the Longbottom's?" Albus said solemnly.

"Safe?" Harry said as he reached for his parent's journals and wands pocketing both within his robes ready to leave in a huff.

"You thought I was safe?" Albus didn't understand where this conversation was going as he looked into the calm, cool, and collected eyes of Harry Potter.

Hermione stood and slid her hand in his, giving it a squeeze as she tried to calm down, she knew where Harry was about to go and needed to be calm so as not to let her magic get away from her.

"I was beaten by my relatives, BEATEN! I have scars that criss cross on my back from the whipping's I've received, I have had broken bones that healed improperly. And you consider that safe?!" Harry was now breathing heavy and trying to listen to Hermione's voice inside his head to breath so as not to let his own magic escape him.

" I've had to dumb down my learning since I first started muggle primary so that my obese cousin would do better than me in class, he and his friends had a game called Harry hunting that they quite enjoyed, is it any wonder I'm so good at dodging bludgers I've been having to dodge my families fists since I was two years old!" At this Dumbledore turned a ghostly white.

"I'm good at potions because I had to learn at the age of five how to cook a full meal, I was encouraged to learn quickly as I couldn't eat unless I made the meal perfectly, not that I got to eat my perfect meal I was given a single piece of lunch meat and bread and water to eat." Harry calmed slightly as he felt Minerva place a hand on his shoulder.

"I lived in the cupboard under the stairs headmaster, on a baby mattress that Dudley used to sleep on, when I was a baby all I had was the basket and blanket I was left in. I was only upgraded to Dudley's second bedroom this year as my aunt and uncle are petrified of Hagrid. In fact, if it wasn't for the twins then I wouldn't even be here as they ripped the bars off my window to rescue me!"

At this Minerva lost it, "THEY HAD TO DO WHAT?"

"I was locked in my room with only a cat flap to pass food thru, I was left out for a few mins to use the restroom and take a five-minute cold shower then shoved right back in." Harry now had to stop in order to hold onto Hermione, as she was actively sobbing into his shoulder.

"Mister Potter, would you please escort your wife to the infirmary for a calming draught, I will be along shortly and request that you stay there until I arrive as I would like her to give you a wellness exam to correct any past injuries that magic could help with. I just need to have a brief word with the headmaster and then I'll be down." McGonagall's order was stern but caring at the same time.

Harry just simply nodded and led Hermione out from the headmaster's office, right before he closed the door, he saw Minerva make a turn face and started her tirade on the headmaster. Harry had a small grin on his face knowing that the headmaster was in for a good rollicking. Hushing Hermione, he pulled her toward the infirmary, that calming draught would do wonders as he hadn't exactly told Hermione everything that happened in his childhood before, she knew bits and pieces, but he tended to leave out the really bad parts.

Giving her a kiss to the forehead the entered Madame Pomfrey's domain.


End file.
